


Sideline Stories: On The Outside Looking In (Tommy)

by UnicornAffair



Series: Wild Pitch [32]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers Megaforce, Power Rangers S.P.D., Power Rangers Samurai
Genre: Additional Warnings Apply, F/F, F/M, Past Abuse, Trimberly is mostly mentioned but important, mentions of previous Tomberly, small hints of Giemma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 34,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26128330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnicornAffair/pseuds/UnicornAffair
Summary: As much as he tried to win his ex-girlfriend back any attempt blew up in his face. She had moved on, with Trini no less, and he was stuck in neutral, watching as the world spun without him. Cut off from the group of people he cared about most, Tommy has to pick up his life and start fresh.Takes Place During Wild Pitch Chapters 23-29
Relationships: Kimberly Hart/Trini, Tommy Oliver & Antonio Garcia, Tommy Oliver/Sydney Drew
Series: Wild Pitch [32]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/852030
Comments: 36
Kudos: 31





	1. Emma Goodall

**Author's Note:**

> Haha and time for the sideline no one probably wanted, the Tommy Sideline :D. My minds been a bit scattered on what project I want to work on but this is a story I've been really excited to start. Along side Cranscott, this is one that I want to sink my teeth into before moving on to Chapter 28 as...the point of these sidelines is to give you guys the best experience possible so...thank you so much for reading
> 
> please stay safe <3 worlds getting pretty crazy out there

There was no reason to be nervous for a  _ date  _ that wasn’t  _ actually _ a date. But here Tommy was standing in front of a mirror making sure he looked good for the occasion. The girlfriend auction that the softball team had put together got out of hand quickly when Troy Burrows, the pretty boy of the Briarwood Baseball team came to crash it. Like a knight in shining armor and cash to boot, he was able to buy a date with senior third baseman Emma Goodall. 

He hadn’t been on a  _ date _ since Kimberly…

With the amount of money he spent, Emma agreed to spend the afternoon with him to honor her role in the auction. Even if she had recently come out to be  _ Gia Moran’s _ girlfriend. There was no pressure, no strings,  _ nothing _ would come out of this. It would just be a nice dinner between two of Angel Grove’s finest baseball and softball players. 

Black slacks, a green dress shirt, all he had to do was figure out what to do with his long locks of hair. He  _ looked _ good, and for the  _ first  _ time in the past couple of days he  _ felt _ good. That was until he could see the reflection of his father standing in the open doorway behind him. Tommy’s entire posture stiffened, the hair on his arm shot straight up. He was hoping he could dip out without even speaking to the mayor...not about this. 

“And where do you think you’re going?” It wasn’t often his son  _ dressed up.  _ Like any teenage boy he preferred a t-shirt and shorts to presenting nice or dealing with buttons. 

“I made a reservation” He wanted to do something  _ nice _ for Emma. After the panic he had seen in her eyes at the auction, how embarrassed she must have felt….then there was the whole ordeal with Red wrecking her camera. Most of it felt like  _ his _ fault for inviting the Bulls to his party to begin with. 

All he wanted was some fun, a party that would be remembered for years to come. Oh it’d be remembered alright, but for all of the wrong reasons. Tommy hoped to extend an olive branch to the softball team, as well as to his own team that felt betrayed. 

“Ah your big date” The Mayor was quick to put two and two together. Even working at city hall he would hear everything that went on in school thanks to a chatty Mrs. Delgado. “Emma Goodall, she’s a senior, you’re aiming high” A pause, “...Though she does have a colorful reputation”  _ Easy Emma.  _ Gotta love a small town.

Thomas Oliver was more than delighted to see that his son was making an attempt to go out with a girl. He clapped his hand on his son’s shoulder, “Need any advice from your old man?”

“I...think I’m good...this isn’t a big deal” Tommy couldn’t look him in the eyes, laughing nervously to try and play it off. Out in Angel Grove he could be the big man on campus, adored by the student body for having parties and throwing events. Here? In his own home, he felt so small under his father’s thumb. “This isn’t a  _ real _ date”

Mr. Oliver didn’t seem so convinced, why would his son go through all the trouble, spend  _ his _ money on a girl he didn’t show any interest in? It didn’t add up in his mind. Not in the slightest. “Right, you’re “just spending time”.” His tone was demeaning, throwing the softball team’s words out. “I think this is a golden opportunity to get over---  _ her”  _

“Kim”

“Mhmm” 

Tommy shrugged his shoulders, trying to shake his father’s hand off. As much as he tried to win his ex-girlfriend back any attempt blew up in his face. She had moved on, with Trini no less, and he was stuck in neutral, watching as the world spun without him. Kimberly was the first girl he had ever loved, his first kiss, his first everything. She was the one who stood with him when the Sandlot broke up...and she took the time to love him, his cracks and all. Kimberly knew what it was like for him, how his father made him feel every day, _pushing_ him to be the best. Then there was his mother who became a shell of who she used to be. Kimberly knew _him,_ and found it in her heart to love him. No matter how bad his homelife was he still had someone, Angel Grove’s power couple. 

That all crashed down. He wasn’t ready to be a father so young, he was only a scared fourteen year old who didn’t know what else to do. 

Nothing was ever the same after that pregnancy scare.  _ Nothing _ would ever be the same after his father paid her to  _ take care of it.  _ A baby with Kimberly so young would ruin his chances to go professional, the mayor didn’t want his son to be saddled with that situation. For Kimberly to hold him back from the path Thomas set out for him as a child. It didn’t  _ matter _ what Tommy wanted. 

It  _ never _ mattered what  _ Tommy _ wanted.

He didn’t  _ want _ to break up. It killed him to see Kimberly with Ty Fleming, but he knew she was recovering...that he was just a dumb distraction, that it didn’t mean anything. That all changed when Trini came along...that was real, and Kimberly kept fading away from him...bit by. He felt like he was drowning at home and his life boat sailed away too. Alone, desperate, only with himself to blame. How much energy was left to tread water? 

“Emma has a girlfriend” Tommy hoped that by saying that Emma was  _ with _ someone that his father would back off and go away, let him  _ go _ without much trouble. “She’s seeing someone”

He should have kept it vague, he should have come up with another excuse but he stuck with the truth.

Thomas shook his head, “If anyone could set her straight it's you, son” His deep chuckle sent a chill down Tommy’s spine. From his pocket square he pulled a recognizable square with  _ Trojan _ stamped on the front to place in the pocket on Tommy’s dress shirt. “Don’t knock  _ this  _ one up”

“It’s just dinner” Tommy didn't know what to say, how to feel outside of icky, gross. Thomas didn’t carry condoms around to be with his mom. He knew that his father and mother barely spent time with one another anymore, to the point of Thomas sleeping in the guest room. Was he still hooking up with Mrs. Clarke? 

“A dinner  _ you’re _ paying for, if she knows her place she’ll put out” Another laugh, as he lightly patted Tommy’s cheek, thinking he had made such a wonderful joke, “Have fun kiddo”

Tommy could take a sigh of relief when his father stepped away, he wanted to get out of this house, be away from his parents, his  _ father. _ After a spritz of cologne he was quick to leave his bedroom. On his way to the garage he spotted his mother passed out on the couch in the living room. It was still daylight and she was already blacked out with an empty bottle of vodka on the floor. Days where she didn’t have to  _ be _ at the country club tended to look like this. Today she had passed out on the couch, sometimes it would be on their deck when she wanted a view of the lake. Tommy wished that she got help, that she would go to rehab but that would do damage to Thomas Oliver’s precious image. How would he get reelected if his wife was a no good drunk? Before he left, Tommy got a glass of water from the kitchen and left it on the coffee table with two aspirins so she could have  _ something  _ when she woke up.

Graduation couldn’t come soon enough. 

*****

When Tommy pulled into the Goodall’s driveway, he spotted his date for the evening and her girlfriend sitting on the porch step. As he exited the car he watched Emma’s expression go from wide-eyed, to confused, to  _ concerned.  _ The third baseman spoke softly to her girlfriend and turned around to go back into the house. 

Thinking that he did something wrong he was quick to get out of his car and walk in the direction of the house, “What?” Tommy looked to Gia, the blonde didn’t look very thrilled about this whole situation. One she could have easily avoided if she had played her cards differently. “What’s wrong?”

“She had to go change” Her jaw tightened as she met him halfway. Gia was Angel Grove’s most wicked hot, but she always intimidated the hell out of Tommy. Impressing her was no easy feat, and here he was trying to take her girlfriend out to dinner. “What the hell are you doing?”

“...Going to dinner?” Despite that being his plan, he suddenly felt unsure under Gia’s scrutiny. “I made a reservation at the country club”

“Yeah, well, considering she’s  _ not _ your girlfriend she thought you’d be taking her somewhere like Ernie’s” Somewhere cheap, easy, casual; not the five star restaurant for Angel Grove’s  _ finest.  _ “She’s under dressed” 

“Oh” Tommy probably should have mentioned the location of the dinner. Since the Oliver’s and Hart’s were such prominent members of the country club, that was one of the places he was comfortable  _ going _ on a dinner date. 

"So, whatcha got there?" Sharp as a knife, Gia noticed something in Tommy’s shirt pocket, swatting the hand that tried to stop her away. It was easy for her to pick out the condom daddy dearest had left him. “Wow, you son of a bitch”

That much was true. 

Tommy was so focused on getting out of the house without talking to his parents that he had forgotten to take it out. Shit.  _ Shit.  _ “That’s not what it looks like!” Weak, he knew it was weak the moment he said it. He completely understood how it looked to the blonde,  _ awful.  _ “I promise!”

It wasn’t enough for the likes of Gia. She flicked the plastic square in his face so hard that the corner broke the skin in his cheek. After Dare Night had gone awry, he was at the top of Gia’s shit list. “You get off on trying to steal other people’s girlfriends?” She accused a pale finger in his face, her eyes narrowing like a tiger about to pounce on its prey. “You piece of shit”

“My dad thought it would be funny” He semi went with the truth, taking a step back. Tommy knew it was best to not fight this one, “Emma’s not---I don’t want to date Emma, nothing’s going to happen”

Gia seemed to accept that as an answer, “Your dad’s a real piece of work, you know that?” All too well, more than she would ever guess. With a scoff she backed off, resting her hands in her pockets as she glanced at the door, “You know you’d be lucky if she ever  _ looked _ in your direction, right?”

“I uh” What was happening? Tommy dumbly nodded his head, agreeing, he knew a pretty girl like Emma was way out of his league. “Yeah, yeah I know” He didn’t need to be reminded.

Emma had changed out of jeans and a hoodie in favor of a light pink sundress, “Sorry, sorry, I’m ready to go now” She stopped in her path to Tommy’s car to give Gia a kiss on the cheek, “Do you want me to bring home anything?”

“Depends” Gia reached to hold Emma’s hand, knowing that she would have to say goodbye shortly, “He paying?” She didn’t even  _ look _ at him, just motioned in his direction with a simple tilt of head.

“Yeah” He sighed, considering Gia could have reamed him for the condom thing and  _ didn’t,  _ he felt like he owed her just to get out of the dog house. Money always could get him out of anything life threw at him, “If you want you could come with” He offered, after all this  _ wasn’t _ a date and he most certainly  _ wasn’t _ trying to get into Emma’s pants. “My treat”

A  _ not-date _ with two of Angel Grove’s hottest seniors, that was a win in any sixteen year old boy’s mind. 

“Country club isn’t really my style” Gia declined the information with an aloof shrug, “Besides, I don’t want to hold you up.” Her hands found a place in her pockets, a smirk on her face as she added, “But I’ll never say no to a steak” Tommy sent Gia a soft smile, a silent  _ thank you  _ for not kicking his ass. “Don’t get too cozy” She warned, still on the defensive.

“I’ll see you later” Emma leaned up to whisper something in her girlfriend’s ear. Whatever she had said perked up the blonde’s mood, and softened the blow of leaving. 

*****

Tommy reserved a table by the window, the perfect spot for the photographer. This small town didn’t have much when it came to the  _ people,  _ but between the harbor, the vast greenery of the forests and the mountain ranges surrounding them. Kimberly loved watching the sunset...in a lot of ways Emma reminded him so much of his ex-girlfriend. Right down to the part where she’d rather date her female childhood friend. 

“It’s beautiful…” Emma commented, captivated by the view, “Tell me, why did you want to take me here?” She asked, averting her eyes back to the mayor’s son. “This isn’t a real date, I’m  _ not _ your girlfriend...I wasn’t  _ expecting _ anything, you know”

“I uh” Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, it was a fair question, “Thought it would be nice after all of the stuff with Briarwood”

“Mmm” The softball player looked to the menu, blinking upon seeing the prices, “You know, Gia would never take me to a place like this”

He frowned, confused, “Why’s that? It’s the  _ nicest _ place in Angel Grove”

“We live in the suburbs, she can’t  _ afford _ a place like this” Emma took a sip of her water, “I know you  _ mean _ well but….”

“Oh” Tommy rubbed his forehead, “It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” He sat back, tilting his head up to the ceiling. “Shit” No wonder Gia’s been on edge with him, “I’m sorry”

“It’s  _ okay…”  _

“I haven’t been on a date since Kimberly…” Tommy glanced down to his plate, “I guess I never realized how much I leaned on her until she left me” He sighed, “I was actually hoping that you could help me” And part of the reason he wanted to take her somewhere nice. “With girl stuff”

_ “Oh”  _ Tommy had purchased time to spend with Emma and dating advice was how he chose to spend it. “From me? Really?”

“Well...you’re a girl”

“That  _ is _ true” Emma couldn’t argue that. 

“And you’re  _ dating _ a girl so…”

“I am” His date for the evening smiled at that, now that they were an  _ out _ couple it felt good to hear her relationship be  _ acknowledged.  _ “I mean, I guess I could try?” That was the least she could do to offer. She stabbed her fork into her starter salad, “I’m no  _ expert _ at women, with Gia…she’s my best friend, we’ve known each other forever. There was no  _ asking out,  _ dating was pretty much a no go for her” Emma smiled fondly at a memory, “I dunno, it all just sort of fell into place”

That’s how things were with Kimberly. In the glory days of the Sandlot she would try to outsmart him every time he was up to bat. The two flirted, even as kids, without even realizing it with their teasing. When Trini left...Kimberly found herself seeking out Tommy to be her rock. They were  _ supposed _ to be together forever. Freshman year they clinched homecoming court, the couple was well on their way to Prom King and Queen. He was the youngest captain of the baseball team that Angel Grove had seen in years while Kimberly was the head cheerleader. This was supposed to be their be all end all. For a while he carried around hope that one day Kimberly would miss him the way he missed her, hoping that what she was doing with Trini was just getting a curiosity out of her system. 

“Like magic” Tommy hadn’t felt that spark of joy since New Years Eve. Kimberly and Trini sharing a kiss at midnight was etched into his mind. 

“Like magic” Emma repeated, it sure sounded nice, “I honestly don’t know the first thing about asking someone out” She sheepishly admitted, “I imagine it’s not easy”

“Definitely not” Tommy could be the life of the party when he had a couple of drinks in, liquid courage as he would call it to get through the nights. One day he’d wake up from one of his own damn events without an ounce of regret, “How did you even know?” He asked, tilting his head. Like Kimberly, Emma had only dated  _ boys.  _ “Is Gia some special case or do you look at a girl and go  _ hot damn”  _

Emma set down her fork, worried he quickly tried to backtrack, “I’m sorry that was--that was out of line, huh?”

“No-no it’s okay” She sent him a sympathetic smile, “I definitely don’t...do  _ that” _ Emma leaned forward lowering her voice, “Do you look at girls and go  _ hot damn?”  _

Tommy couldn’t help but smile, easing into the conversation, “If they’re  _ hot damn _ worthy” 

“You’re a dork” Emma was smiling, for once someone was enjoying his company.

“Humor me?” He took a sip of his drink, trying to mask a laugh, “Is Gia a special case or…”

“I’m bi” She explained, “Gia’s not an  _ exception _ ...Angel Grove isn’t the easiest place to be  _ out.  _ Or open about that kind of thing. So it’s a lot of  _ hot damning _ in your head” Even years later, Shiba Grove was branded as the Fag House. “But no she’s not the first girl I’ve ever felt  _ attracted _ to” A pause, her brows raised as she took a sip of her water, contemplating telling him the next part, “She’s not the only girl I’ve kissed either”

“Wait…. _ what?  _ Who was it? Another girl on the softball team?”

“Oh Tommy, Tommy, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell.” She giggled, out of everyone on the softball team it was arguable that Emma was the cutest of the bunch. Go figure she was already taken and off the market. Tommy liked being around her, then again, there were no strings attached to this meal. Once they said their goodbyes things would go back to being normal, he was wise enough to know that they wouldn’t be friends after this. “Are you asking about  _ girl advice, _ or you trying to dig up info on  _ Kimberly?”  _

Was Trini a special case? Tommy had known her for years and didn’t get an ounce of gay-bi, whatever vibe out of her. Maybe he was too close to see it… 

“No...I’m trying to move on…” Tommy was delighted when their entrees came in and he could talk about his feelings over a well seasoned steak. “It’s just hard…”

“Well, if you want my advice...don’t date anyone from Briarwood” She shook her head, “That will end in disaster”

“Oh man, I  _ still _ can’t believe you dated  _ Troy Burrows”  _ Tommy knew he had the reputation as a girl magnet who used ‘em and lost ‘em as soon as he can.

“He was  _ different _ with me, or at least I thought he was” Emma sighed, “I’m sure that’s what they all say”

“Hey, the guy  _ crashed _ the girlfriend auction to try and be with you again after what? Like 7 months? You definitely were different” Tommy couldn’t help but agree, something about being around Emma made him feel warm, connected, she had this essence about her that was inviting. “It’s his loss, you’re a total catch”

“Well, thank you” Emma didn’t want to lament on the past, especially at a moment that she considered to be one of her most embarrassing. “Is there anyone you  _ like?  _ Someone hot damn worthy? Maybe we can start there”

“Uhhh” Not  _ really.  _ There were a lot of hot girls at Angel Grove, but they weren’t Kimberly...he felt stuck in his feelings. “I heard Tori Hanson and Blake Bradley broke up” He mentioned hopefully, tall, blonde, beach body---there was a lot to like about the carefree surfer.

_ “No”  _ Emma was quick to shoot that down, pointing her fork in his direction, “No way, I am  _ not _ helping you get with  _ Tori.” _

“Why not?”

“She needs to heal, that was a  _ big breakup”  _ Emma frowned, Tori and Blake were with one another for over a year. That was a  _ long time _ for high schoolers. “Do you really want to be  _ that guy?”  _

“I’m already labeled as the worst” Tommy felt himself slowly sinking, his confidence wasn’t nearly where it started, “The stuff with Riley...Briarwood…”

“Rivalry week  _ does _ things to people” Emma was just another one of Red’s victims, “It’s easy to get swept up into it. Maybe instead of focusing on getting with a girl for the sake of... _ being  _ with someone, you should focus on your team”

“I think they  _ hate me”  _

“Don’t sell yourself short...they’re  _ mad _ at you, but they haven’t written you off. They’re the ones who voted you as captain, remember?”

“Do you really think I deserve to be team captain when Mike Fernandez is on the team? This was his  _ senior year”  _ And Tommy was voted in at the end of his  _ freshman year.  _ He was no older than Riley when it happened. This had his father’s meddling all over. Tommy could tell, he felt the shift of the brotherhood between freshman and sophomore year. The team didn’t hang out as much as they  _ used _ to outside of practices, the only way Tommy could get them to spend time with him was to throw parties, provide the booze. They didn’t  _ trust _ him, they didn’t trust the name  _ Oliver.  _

“Well…” As a senior, Emma understood the hurt Mike had felt when he didn’t make it as captain. It was a huge honor for someone who dedicated his high school career to the team. Tommy didn’t pay his dues. “Even the more reason to do something nice for them”

“When did baseball get so dramatic?” Tommy asked with a laugh. The Sandlot days were nothing compared to this. Even though being a Dragon was a lot of hard work the kids had fun. Their game used to be a  _ game,  _ but now it felt like the stakes were rising and rising. His dad would make him watch film, go to the batting cages, train, and train and train. “There’s some days I just want it all to stop…”

“You want to quit?”

“I can’t” No, the goal was to go pro, all his life he worked towards his father’s path for him. To  _ be _ someone. To be greater than this small little harbor town. Tommy didn’t have options, at least...it didn’t feel like he did. “My dad would kill me” Baseball was all Tommy felt  _ good _ at, if he didn’t have it then what? Become a washed up sailor like Joe Clarke or Sam Scott?

“Mmm I get it…” She didn’t. She  _ couldn’t.  _ “You have to find the spark of joy again...when were you happiest playing?”

“Out on the Sandlot...when we were ten” Tommy didn’t hesitate to respond to that, “We didn’t have fancy equipment or a nice field, we’d play until the sunset. Just me, Jason Scott, Billy Cranston, Zack Taylor, Trini Gomez and Kimberly Hart….some days other kids would join us sure, but the six of us were the heart of that dump. Jase and I would get so competitive but he always lit fire y’know? Pushed me to be better. The world couldn’t touch us there...my safe space”

He shook his head, and then a premium little league field was built on top of it. Everything changed when Trini moved away, when Tommy became a  _ Dragon.  _ “And nothing will ever come close to that...it’s stupid...”

“It’s not stupid, I miss rec games and ice cream celebrations afterwards” Emma shook her head, not wanting to downplay a memory he cherished so close to his heart. It was easy to get nostalgic over the past, they kids, they didn’t know how harsh the world was around them. They could live in their own little bubbles. “You can’t  _ recreate _ memories...but you can make new ones.”

An idea sparked in his head, what if he brought the baseball and softball team together for a day at the old sandlot? Where they could have  _ fun,  _ no strings attached, no stakes, no bets...just a night to play  _ their  _ game on  _ their  _ terms. A chance to be kids again. An olive branch to the girls, a chance to apologize to his own team, to  _ Riley.  _ It was time to use his power for something that wasn’t a  _ party,  _ but a celebration.

“I think you’re onto something Emma….” 


	2. Lauren Shiba

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everything feels like it's falling to pieces, Tommy can always count on the Sandlot. Only this time, he wasn't alone, someone else had the same thought.
> 
> Takes place during chapter 24 of Wild Pitch (G)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all of your love and support in these crazy times <3 here's another update to Tommy's sideline :D
> 
> I'm hoping to get through chapter 5 of this and at LEAST chapter 4 (the next chapter) of Cranscott before setting up Wild Pitch Chapter 28. This is an extended universe now and with these sidelines I want you all to have the best experience going forward. Trini doesn't get to see everything after all :)

Getting everyone together for a casual game at the Dragon’s Nest was the perfect way to heal the Angel Grove tigers after a whirlwind rivalry week. There were no stakes, no fields on the line, no W or L to mark a  _ record.  _ Most importantly, there were no parents looming over shoulders, this wasn’t a game with an audience, it all boiled down to  _ kids _ being  _ kids.  _ A reminder of why they fell in love with the game in the first place. 

It reminded Tommy of what the Sandlot  _ could _ have been if they actually had enough kids to fill for teams. Boys, girls, it didn’t matter. With Lauren as his opposing team captain they even split red vs green, it brought back old memories.  _ Jason Scott _ even decided to come out of the press box and play again. Most importantly? Trini was starting to talk to him again, she even organized everyone to meet up. It was a sign that  _ maybe _ down the line he could be forgiven for the things that he had done. 

No more extravagant dare nights, no more lake house parties with Briarwood invitations. For the first time this year the baseball guys felt relaxed, laughed a bit more, like the days before he was appointed team captain...like the days spent as Dragons back in the day. Tommy felt  _ good _ coming out of that game, great even and if his dad had a problem with him using the field he was more than happy to take the brunt of the hammer.

Being a team captain meant bringing up the team’s morale. The pranks against Briarwood were  _ fun _ light hearted...until Red took it to a dark level. In the thick of the moment, when all eyes were on him, Tommy made a mistake. In his eyes he saw that one of his own was  _ hurt,  _ he wanted to strike back...he wanted to make them pay for everything they had done. Trini, Emma, Riley. 

How did Lauren Shiba do it? How did she stay so calm as a captain? Then again...the softball teams didn’t go all out, they didn’t have the  _ tradition _ of a prank war. When Jen Scotts was team captain, Briarwood didn’t even step over the town lines, surely Lauren carried on that legacy. After all, the weight of Angel Grove’s reputation didn’t rest on the shoulders of the  _ girls team.  _ Up until now, the softball team had to have been the most overlooked sport at the school. 

Kimberly could never be  _ overlooked _ or  _ forgotten.  _

Just as Tommy felt like his life had been shifting back into place, he received a message from one of the softball girls. 

Tanya Sloan  
  
Hey TO I’m putting together a fund for the Gomez family. Would you be able to pitch in? Pass the news on to the guys? I’d ask Adam but I figured it’d be better comin from you  
Sure  
What’s going on with the Gomez family?  
You don’t know?  
Sorry  
Mr. Gomez had a heart attack  


Tommy had to set his phone down, his breath feeling caught in his chest.  _ What?  _ How could something like this happen? Everything was  _ fine,  _ everything was starting to get back to normal again. Wasn’t it? Minutes went by but for Tommy it felt like the world was standing still. His mind flashed through all of the possibilities, what would happen if Mr. Gomez died? What would happen to Trini? Zack and his mother just moved into that house. Trini must have been so scared...there had to be  _ something _ he could do to show his support.  _ Anything.  _

Tanya Sloan  
  
Omg that’s crazy!  
Of course I’ll help  
Keep him in your prayers  
Trini too  


He knew that he was on the outs with the Sandlot gang, but not even  _ Billy _ reached out to tell him. No, the way he found out was through  _ Tanya Sloan _ asking for  _ money. _ That was all he was good for, signing a check or footing a bill. 

There had to be  _ more.  _

*****

The two men of the Oliver family wanted to show their support to Mrs. Gomez by showing up at the hospital. Tommy watched on as his father comforted a broken woman trying to do her best to keep together for the sake of her kids. Her entire world was crumbling around her and there he was, Mr. Mayor himself at the ready---like a vulture circling it’s prey.

“What’re you doing here?” Piped Trini’s voice, drawing Tommy’s attention away from his father’s actions. There was that pointed tone, accusatory, her hand balling into a fist. Was the sight of him that repugnant? Did she  _ hate _ him that much?

“We wanted to visit” Tommy looked hurt, as if Trini had just slapped him, she might as well have. “He wanted to visit when I told him about the news…” He ducked his head down, wanting to disappear entirely. 

“Don’t pull this sad little puppy act on me right now Tommy” Trini exhaled through her nose, she wasn’t going to let up, she was far too tired, “My father is in the hospital, I don’t have time for your bullshit”

He wasn’t asking for pity, or forgiveness. Trini was already twisting his intentions, their past clouding every move he made. All Tommy wanted to  _ do _ was show his support, to show good faith by being at the hospital. To stand by his friends in their time of need. He knew he screwed up  _ big _ time when it came to dare night, when it came to rivalry week but this went  _ beyond _ their dumb high school life and complicated feelings for Kimberly. 

“I’m sorry about your dad.” Tommy was quick to state, he shook his head, and in his eyes Trini could see that for once he was genuine. “He’s a good man...he doesn’t deserve this” The baseball player’s line of sight honed in on his father. Tommy watched in utter disgust as his father leaned closer to June, his hand now caressing her knee. Mrs. Gomez politely rested her hand atop of his and plucked it off of her.

“What a scumbag” Tommy murmured full of disdain for his own father, “I really wish this was all happening to him…” Maybe then he’d open his eyes to how much damage he had done. Maybe then he would realize his wife needed help...that his son was on the downward spiral. Maybe he would have an epiphany and try to change his ways. Maybe...

“You shouldn’t wish that kind of thing on anyone…” Trini mumbled, she had been at the hospital, wearing herself thin just  _ waiting _ for news. “Your dad…”

“I mean it” He spat, cutting her off, “The world would be a better place if he weren’t in it. I  _ hate _ him.”

Trini rested her hands in her pockets, “It’s just two more years” She did her best to brush him and his declaration off. Trini didn’t understand, how could she? She didn’t see the monster behind the man.

“Two more years feels like a lifetime” Tommy ran a hand through his hair, it was easy to get carried away when it came to the matter of Thomas Oliver. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make this about me”

“My dad’s life is hanging in the balance, of course you’d find a way to make this about you” Her words were sharp, cutting deep and quick like a dagger.

The long haired boy put his hands in his pockets, he glanced down to his feet, her calling him out had been justified. He wasn’t here to complain about his life, he wanted to be there for  _ her,  _ to support her. All of this was coming out wrong. “How are you feeling?” He wanted to start again, to start  _ right.  _

“On the brink of my world falling apart” Her answers were short, curt, defensive. Tommy wasn’t privy to her life, not anymore.

“Right, stupid question” Tommy sighed, the two stood in silence as they watched their parents interact. “As soon as my dad finishes talking to your mom, we’ll be out of your hair”

“Great.”

Tommy’s lips tightened, he really messed up by crossing the shorter girl, she sure held grudges. “...So I see you’re playing Reefside, Saturday” He cleared his throat, trying to grasp at  _ anything,  _ “We play tomorrow afternoon so our field should be free, maybe I can talk Principal Frank into letting the softball team use it” The girls should be able to use their field if they weren’t on it.

“That’d be nice…” Trini trailed off, her eyes glazing over as she tried to tune out the conversation, “The girls would appreciate that” She made it general, with no mention of herself or Kimberly specifically.

“...Cool….”

“Yep.”

So much for  _ being _ there for her…this was all too soon. He  _ tried, _ but she wasn’t  _ ready _ for him to be in her life again. It was too much.

The best thing he could do for Trini was to stay away.

*****

When Tommy finished his history homework he needed to print it out, unfortunately the only printer in the house rested in his father’s office. The one room of the house Tommy hated the most. The back wall was lined with bookshelves, a testament to Tommy’s achievements; trophies he had earned in skills competitions, framed newspaper clippings of the Dragons Nest. A timeline from Tommy’s sandlot days through his high school career...preparing him to be the best player the MLB had ever seen. The bottom shelf was lined with  _ tapes,  _ Thomas would record all of his games and sit his son down to pick apart  _ everything.  _ His batting stance, how he  _ should _ have handled a ball for a specific play, winning wasn’t good enough. 

Winning was never good enough.

In the corner of the room sat a safe, one that a mischievous boy in Tommy had always wanted to open just to see what was inside. He couldn’t figure out the combination of a lock that featured five letters to open. How dumb of him to think that  _ T-O-M-M-Y _ would open it. Thomas assured him that it was a safe for important documents, their social security cards, passports, the paper work for the family cars.  _ Adult stuff.  _

Tommy sat in Thomas’ large leather desk chair and attached his usb to his tower. Getting into his computer was easy, the pin was set as  _ 0606\.  _ Tommy’s baseball number. Little did his father know that wanting the number six came from the Sandlot. Jason, Billy, Kimberly, Zack, Trini...and Tommy, a way to keep his past with him even when Trini had moved away...even when the Sandlot was bought for private use. 

Logging into the computer showed Tommy the last thing his father was seeing online.  _ June Hernandez Gomez’s  _ facebook page. One would think his father had the heart to respond to her multiple updates that she would set as her status. Perhaps he did, to show the citizens of Angel Grove he was a loving and caring mayor who wanted to see Mr. Gomez through these tough times. No. Mr. Oliver was currently viewing a photo from the album  _ Beach Vacation 2015.  _ For a mother of three Mrs. Gomez still it going for her--she could rock a two piece like a model. Tommy immediately clicked out of the internet browser as soon as the thought of  _ wow Trini’s mom is hot _ popped into his head. What the hell was his father doing?  _ Eugh.  _

Just print and get the hell out of there. 

With that behind him, he wanted to burn the image of his father sifting through Mrs. Gomez’s  _ family vacation photos _ for. The thought of it made Tommy shiver, his skin crawl, the ick factor bar was raised higher than ever before. 

“You’re not seriously thinking about giving her a job offer,  _ her?”  _ Tommy could hear her mother’s pointed tone, oh, so she was awake. 

In the living room Thomas and his wife were having a conversation that was starting to snowball into something more. “June is organized, she’ll fill the gap at the office now that Lisa’s gone. It was a win win for both of us” All it took was one visit to the hospital and here he wanted to swoop in and save the day.

“A win win for both of us” His wife mocked back, Tommy could feel her eyes rolling from the hallway. “Will you at least wait for her husband to  _ die _ before going after  _ this _ one?”

“Hey...hey...It’s not like that…”

“Is it? You’ve been  _ all over _ that woman since that family has moved in. Inviting the  _ Gomez’s _ to the country club knowing  _ full well _ her husband works during the day. You don’t think I  _ see  _ these things?”

“I needed a doubles partner” Thomas was so dismissive of his wife’s accusations. He always was. 

“I know Lisa hasn’t been the only one.”

“What other choice do I have anymore? You don’t let me  _ touch _ you!”

_ Splash.  _

With a flick of her wrist the contents of her frozen margarita flew into her husband’s face. Mrs. Oliver had no qualms throwing the glass past his shoulder, shattering against the wall close to where Tommy stood. 

Their only son had  _ enough _ of these arguments. Stepping out from where he was eavesdropping the shining star of the Angel Grove baseball team shouted, “Just get a divorce like normal people who hate each other!” He couldn’t be in this house, not with them at each other’s throats. Not when Thomas was on the move to ruin yet  _ another _ family with his infidelity, and his mother continued to spiral down a path of no return. She was sick too, why weren’t they doing anything about it? 

Angry and upset, Tommy crossed the room to take his keys off of the hook. “Where the hell do you think you’re going?” He heard his father’s voice, the man wiping slush off of his face. 

“Out!” He snapped back, slamming the door behind him. 

*****

There was one place Tommy could go where he felt safe. Where he could be alone, and not have to put on the show of being the mayor’s perfect son. The Dragon’s Nest became a second home to him and when he felt his life tearing apart he could come here and use the batting cages to get that energy out. 

When Kimberly told him that she thought she was pregnant the year before he had come here to get out of his head. His whole life changed in that instant---he wasn’t ready to be a father, he was just a kid himself. Hitting a ball with a bat was all he knew. How could he be a dad? Being a dad was the one thing that scared him the most. No child deserved the life he had, but Tommy would do it for Kimberly, to prove that he could be a better man. Thomas knew deep down that Tommy would give up everything for a girl, a  _ cheerleader.  _ It didn’t matter. Before Tommy could even tell Kimberly that he was in, she got her period. He was too late. It was just a scare...but enough to shake their worlds, fracturing their relationship beyond repair.

_ Clang.  _

Tommy heard the satisfying sound of metal hitting a ball, only, this was after hours. No one should  _ be _ here. Hell, Tommy’s car was the only one sitting in the parking lot. 

_ Clang.  _

The batting cage was definitely on. The timing between the ball releasing from the machine to it being hit ran smooth like clockwork. He wasn’t alone. 

_ Clang.  _

Blonde hair, red bat, the softball team captain was taking up one of the stalls of the batting cage. Lauren Shiba. He had lent her a key to the Nest back during rivalry week so she could get some extra practice, the girl was smart to make a  _ copy.  _ Tommy wasn’t mad, he would keep her secret...after all, the two were alike. When times got rough they could lean back on the one thing that made sense to them.  _ Baseball.  _

“Hey” He wanted to make his presence known.

_ “Shit”  _ Lauren let the ball slide by her, hitting the mat where the catcher should have been. The senior captain never swore, but she had been taken by surprise by someone else’s presence. She was doing her best to cover her tracks, which also meant  _ walking _ from Shiba Grove to the old Sandlot. Her round of balls were over with, they needed to be collected before she could start again, “Um…” Guilty blue eyes looked down, she bit the corner of her lip, unsure of what to say. “...Hi”

“I’m not supposed to be here either” It had been at least two years since Tommy Oliver aged out of the Dragons program. “Your secret’s safe with me, I promise”

“Appreciated” She rested her red bat against the fencing, taking a moment to grab her bottle of water to take a proper break between sessions. “...Reefside is next on our schedule and I want to be ready”

“Is that all?” Tommy asked, his brow arched. He knew damn well that Lauren was the most dedicated athlete at that school...but this was  _ Reefside.  _ They weren’t ranked very high, not compared to the likes of Briarwood or Harwood County. The extra practice, yeah, he called bullshit.

“Mhm” The blonde capped her water bottle, physically backing away from Tommy in favor of collecting the softballs to go another around. “What brings you here?”

“Gotta keep the edge” He stepped around to enter his own stall, “Wouldn’t want to upset the old man” 

They both kept each other at arm's length, hiding the true reason they were there with a blanket lie. 

Two team captains, two of the best players Angel Grove had ever seen, worked like a well oiled machine. Every time Lauren hit a ball, Tommy would follow in tandem echoing her. Despite being separated by the chain link fence, despite not saying a word to one another...Tommy wasn’t feeling so alone. There was something cathartic about smashing a baseball with a bat. His home life couldn’t touch him here, if anything he could take out his frustrations...swing after swing until he tired himself out. 

_ Thump. _

_ Clang.  _

Tommy couldn’t look over to Lauren as he was still in his batter’s stance. She had missed a ball, the dull thump coming from the mat taking the blow. No one was  _ perfect,  _ even the best struck out at the plate. 

_ Thump.  _

_Clang._  
  
Another miss for Lauren, right in a row. No this wasn’t right. Not for someone as disciplined as them. The pitch, the swing, the regroup---it was all a pattern when it came to a batting cage. A rhythm, practically muscle memory.

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

Feeling that something was wrong in his gut, Tommy turned around to see that Lauren had frozen in place, her head down. She wasn’t even  _ trying _ to hit the ball anymore. Whatever personal demon brought her to the Dragon’s Nest was starting to win the mental battle. 

“Hey” Tommy called gently to the fellow Angel Grove captain. The stoic girl’s eyes darted up to him, blue eyes glossed over, sheen with fresh brewed tears. “Why are you here?”

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

A shaky breath as Lauren inhaled, “That’s the million dollar question isn’t it?” Lauren brought the palm of her hand up to her eye. She wasn’t the type to show emotion, she wasn’t the type to let her weaknesses show. “I’m supposed to  _ be _ there for her and I can’t---I can’t bring myself to do  _ anything”  _

_ Trini.  _ This all boiled down to Trini Gomez. 

“She chose me, people don’t  _ choose me.”  _ She continued, “She  _ trusted _ me to be her mentor” Tommy had heard of that, Rita liked to instill peer mentors to ease in new players and build chemistry. “...She’s my friend…well, some friend am I.” Lauren tilted her chin up, looking to the lights to try and control herself from breaking in front of the likes of Tommy Oliver. “I’m  _ supposed _ to be a  _ good _ team captain…but here I am.” 

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

“I’m sure she understands” Tommy didn’t need to  _ ask.  _ Lauren Shiba was the girl who lost both of her parents in one night. Visiting the hospital for a little girl meant that mommy and daddy would be taken away forever. “You can’t hold that against yourself”

“I go to that hospital and he’ll die, and that’s one more person in Angel Grove without a father” 

_ Thump. _

_ Thump. _

Finally the balls depleted, the machine’s needed to be reset to continue hitting practice. Tommy could finally move, step closer to her but giving her the space by staying in his unit. He grabbed onto the chain link fence dividing them, “...Lauen that’s…”

“I’m a  _ curse”  _ Lauren set her bat down, effectively cutting him off, “A black cloud, a lightning rod for  _ suffering.  _ The best thing I could do is stay away...”

Tommy shook his head, no,  _ he _ was the one that should have stayed away when his presence wasn’t wanted. Trini wasn’t  _ ready _ to let him back into her life and he should have respected that. “I didn’t realize you were so superstitious” 

That comment was one to crack a smile on Lauren’s face, “Why are you here?” She asked, dismissing the observation.

“My parents are fighting again…” He trailed off, it felt almost cruel to talk about  _ parents _ in front of the eldest Shiba. Even at the Olivers worst they were still alive to bicker another day. Lauren wasn’t lucky enough to say that. “I couldn’t take it anymore”

“Mmm” Lauren knew what the upper crust of Angel Grove was like, even if she wasn’t a part of it anymore. The rich and their fronts, appearing to be perfect but cracked and fractured underneath...so many secrets to hide. She wasn’t going to push, this wasn’t her business.

“I went to the hospital today to see her…” He didn’t want to talk about  _ himself,  _ or his family, Thomas didn’t deserve the teenage angst. “Mrs. Hart is an amazing surgeon...he’ll...he’ll be okay”

“Do you believe that things happen for a reason? That somehow everything is connected?” She asked softly, taking a step forward-closer to where Tommy was standing. 

“No” Tommy let out a sigh, “That’s what people say when  _ bad _ things happen, like that somehow cushions the blow” He didn’t know what Lauren wanted to hear, “Bad things happen to good people” The Shiba’s were beloved by the community and were plucked from this world before their time. “And bad people somehow weasel their way through life---like it’s some kind of  _ game”  _ He knew first hand what evil in Angel Grove looked like. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. 

“Maybe” Lauren closed her eyes, resting her forehead against the cool metal of the fence, defeated. “I don’t know what to do”

Tommy knew he had a lot to learn in the leadership column. His own team didn’t respect him like they did Lauren, if only she could see the way everyone looked on in awe of her dedication to her girls. “Let’s take one of the machines onto the field” 

Confused and perplexed, Lauren pulled away from the fence, “What?”

Baseball was the one thing that took them away from the horrors life sent their way. “Home run derby, you vs me” Lauren came up here for a distraction, that was what he was going to provide...with a side of fun.

“Oh” Lauren turned away from him, having to take in a deep breath. “That’s not a good idea” 

“It’s okay!” He insisted, “We’ll be sure to cover our tracks” As if Tommy Oliver would ever get in trouble for using the Dragons equipment. For once he could feel like he could use his powers for good, “I promise, you won’t get into trouble” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about” With a flick of her wrist, Lauren picked up her bat with such grace that it was like an extension of her body. Tommy’s confused expression prompted her to continue, “It’s not a good idea to challenge  _ me”  _ The doubt had vanished and its place there was a confidence...a cockiness that humble softball captain Lauren Shiba didn’t let out of its cage. Maybe he couldn't help Trini, but bringing an actual smile to Lauren's face would be reward enough.

“Oh ho ho” The captain of the baseball team leaned back, was she serious? Mr. Oliver’s office was covered in Tommy’s accolades. “Alright then Shiba, let’s see what you’ve got” 


	3. Nick Russell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh see, that’s where you're wrong Tommy boy” Nick stretched out his body, resting his hands behind his neck, “You and I? We’re cut from the same loaf”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place during chapter 25, Cousin Gloria...it's a bit on the shorter end as Tommy really isn't in that chapter much. 
> 
> <3 <3 <3

Angel Grove’s country club was reserved for the upper crust of their little harbor town, a place for the rich to gather in luxury for the  _ finer things in life.  _ Tennis courts, a spa, the golf courts, the seafood restaurant, not to mention an incredible pool and banquet hall. This was where families like the Olivers, Landsdowns, Watanabes, and Harts could separate themselves from Angel Grove’s reputation of being just a  _ harbor town _ population---blue collar fishermen and a sizable trailer park.

Thomas and his family regularly made their appearances, the  _ loving family.  _ Mrs. Oliver kept to her husband’s side, faking a smile as if she truly cared about her husband’s reign of power. Tommy, the perfect son, the star athlete...he had the luxury of staying quiet, only speaking unless he was spoken to. Thomas’ colleagues and business partners would lob easy questions over dinner.  _ How’s school? Are you ready for the next big game? Where’s your girlfriend?  _

_ Where’s your girlfriend?  _

When Tommy was dating Kimberly, he always  _ hated _ when they brought up the girl of his dreams. Thomas’ little boys club and their commentary as if talking about her brought them back to the good ol’days of high school themselves.  _ Ted Hart’s girl.  _ The hottest commodity in school. A head cheerleader so young to boot. It rubbed Tommy the wrong way, but they were joking, having fun...Thomas Oliver didn’t raise a stickler of a son. 

Today however, he got out of going to their lunch in. Laps in the pool made for good strength and endurance training, Mr. Oliver bought that as a valid excuse. If them talking about his girlfriend got under his skin at his happiest, them talking about his  _ ex-girlfriend _ was only going to drive him up the wall. Tommy could feel the shame at a distance. How could Kimberly go from  _ him _ to  _ Trini Gomez?  _ Yeah, a real laugh riot. Not everyone can ‘control their women’ like they could. He felt the looks at school, other kids carried that same sentiment. He didn’t need his father’s  _ friends _ to reopen that wound and rub it with salt. They didn’t know  _ why  _ the princess and prince of Angel Grove broke up.

The pool where he could be alone with his thoughts was a better option. He couldn’t fall back on the baseball guys, they weren’t friends, not anymore. They were  _ teammates _ there to accomplish the goal of winning and not much outside of that. He was jealous at how close the softball girls were, a real sorority, when push came to shove the most fraternal activity the boys team did was throw a party. Tommy’s way of filling the empty void. The Sandlot gang were growing more distant, not inviting him to events or lunches. Bit by bit he felt cut off from the people that mattered most to him. Being alone, truly alone, was something he had to get used to. 

“Hey pretty boy” Sitting in the hot tub was none other than Nick Russell. A member of the Briarwood baseball team, the mayor’s soon as well as one of the culprits of the  _ fag pole prank.  _ He leaned back with a confident smirk on his face, his arms out and hugging the sides of the tub. 

“Who let you out of your cage?” Tommy asked with a frown. Red and Cole were currently facing a hefty hate crime charge, while Rocky DeSantos had taken a deal to lessen the severity of his sentence. With Leo as a minor, the Briarwood captain hopeful was faced with probation and community service. The former Angel Grove tiger ratted on the whole operation right down to Nick’s place---he was the one that wrote the word on Riley’s chest. Now here he was, not long later enjoying the luxuries of a hot tub and a refreshing beverage.

“My dad” He answered simply, motioning for Tommy to join him. The Angel Grove captain knew that Nick Russell was  _ trouble,  _ but a part of him wanted answers. He’d get in the tank with a shark if it meant getting something out of it. “He at least cares. Can you believe my mom was perfectly happy letting me go to jail? What a fucking bitch”

Mayor Udonna was always a  _ fair _ woman, Nick did a crime---he should face the time. It was simple as that. As a person in power, what message did it say if she posted his bail and let him walk free? Through his dad, and years of back and forth with Angel Grove and it’s neighboring town of Briarwood he had come to know Udonna. She sent her son away with a heavy heart, feeling like a failure of a mother that her son turned into a monster. Her husband, the principal of Briarwood high, had no problems bailing Nick out of trouble like he always did to protect his blood. Leanbow was an enabler to say the least.

“Can’t wait for the divorce to be final” Nick let out an exasperated sigh, to him dealing with his mother was exhausting. Leanbow and Udonna had their handsful with their son, during his freshman year at St. John he was expelled for his casual drug use and was forced to go to Briarwood public school ever since. It was there his father was supposed to keep a watchful eye on him. “Make my summer easy” As a senior he was months away from moving out of this small town for good. “And then off to college” Surely a guy like Nick Russell put in a google search for best party schools in the country and applied off of that. 

“Sounds like you got it all squared away” Tommy was irritated to say the least, Riley was one of  _ his _ guys, and while he instigated a lot of their prank wars he didn’t expect it to get  _ dark.  _ Not like this. Nick wasn’t paying for the crime...and  _ he _ was the one who etched the hateful word on his chest. “Why’d you do it anyway?”

“Hm?” Nick tilted his head, “What the prank?”

“It’s not the 1970s anymore” Clearly they were looking at the past for inspiration on a quick way to humiliate someone. “It was a bit... _ much, _ don’t you think?”

“Dude, you messed with Red, you get the horns” Nick laughed, all of this was a  _ joke _ to him. A means of entertainment to get through his senior year. He didn’t give a shit.

It was true, Tommy was able to steal Red’s athletic cup and douse it in fiery hot itching powder but he only made a video to imply Red’s humiliation. No one actually saw him, hell, he may’ve  _ watched _ the video before he used it. Riley didn’t have that luxury. 

As a team captain, as a  _ person _ who saw first hand the trauma on that boy's face Tommy had to press further, “Why’d you write that on his chest?” 

“What’re you playing the white knight now?” Nick didn’t realize inviting the son of Angel Grove’s mayor would result in so much of  _ this _ kind of talk. The prank was over, the game was over, rivalry week was over, it needed to stay in the past. “Honestly? I was a bit pissed annnd kinda messed up” Tommy knew Nick partied hard, put cocaine in his system to  _ feel _ something other than  _ boredom.  _

Tommy’s brow arched, unimpressed, “Kinda?”

“Okay,  _ really  _ messed up” The Briarwood boy heaved out a sigh, running a hand through his hair, “I had a rough day” Tommy didn’t budge, pressing Nick to continue, he was one that loved to hear himself speak. “Summer Landsdown doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore” He admitted, shaking his head. The mere idea of that was ridiculous in his mind. “Can you believe that?”

“Oh” Well then. Tommy couldn’t say he blamed the soccer team captain for it.

“Guess it triggered something in me, I don’t know. No matter how crazy it would get, or whatever was going on with our parents she was always there. Kinda like my rock” He let out a sad pathetic chuckle, “With benefits” Punctuating that image with a wink.

Nick shook his head, regressing, frowning, “Can you believe she’s banging  _ Aisha Campbell  _ now?  _ Aisha. Really?”  _ A  _ girl _ who wasn’t even in their tax bracket. __

“Uh…well” Honestly, Tommy wasn’t sure  _ what _ to say. As a couple he had only seen the two girls during the Angel Grove baseball cookout he didn’t host. He didn’t know either of them  _ that _ well, but didn’t see anything  _ wrong _ with them. If anything, out of the two years of being on the baseball team he had never seen Aisha so open and relaxed. She always lived in Tanya Sloan’s shadow, a backup singer never to reach the spotlight. “Aisha’s nice”

“If anyone understands what this is like it’s  _ you.”  _ Nick reached over to swat Tommy’s chest with the back of his hand, “Your girl rebounding with ah…” He snapped his fingers, or at least tried to, not much friction was made with his wet hands. “What’s her face”

“Trini” Tommy glanced away, great, somehow he  _ still _ was faced talking about this. 

“Right, the catcher” Nick couldn’t help the stupid grin appearing on his face, “A pitcher and a catcher, shit” Tommy could feel his teeth starting to clench, not liking where Nick was taking this. Really, he did  _ not _ want to hear the innuendo about his ex-girlfriend and his ex-childhood friend. “It’s  _ embarrassing _ is what it is”

Tommy shifted, feeling uneasy hearing Nick’s tone, “I don’t think we’re in the same boat.”

“Oh see, that’s where you're wrong Tommy boy” Nick stretched out his body, resting his hands behind his neck, “You and I? We’re cut from the same loaf” Was...that even a saying? “You know what it’s like to be the mayor’s son...what it’s like for the girl you love to…” He glanced down, “Shit” Nick always wanted to keep things casual with the heiress, hearing himself admit  _ out loud  _ that he was in love with her took him by surprise. “Something about her moving on with a chick, y’know? You  _ know.  _ Yeah...So...I was pissed...yeah. My world felt like it was crumbling around me, took it out on the farm kid. What the fuck does Aisha Campbell have that I don’t? What does  _ Trini  _ have that  _ you _ don’t?” 

“It….doesn’t matter….” Tommy took a good look in the mirror and didn’t like how this was sounding, how this was  _ feeling.  _ He was okay with Kimberly fooling around with Ty Fleming, she was in a place of hurting and it wouldn’t mean anything...he still had hope. That was at least until he showed his true colors at Tommy’s party for the football team. This wasn’t about Kimberly being with a girl, he’d be just as upset if she had moved on with Jason Scott. Tommy was heartbroken, and lost his hope...she could love Kimberly and he couldn’t. Jealousy was an ugly green eyed monster. The dare nights, the rivalry week parties, Tommy was spiraling into a  _ jerk.  _ “They moved on” 

In January, Tommy’s emotions were raw, he didn’t handle it well. After rivalry week and Trini’s father having a heart attack...Tommy’s eyes were open, there was a bigger picture here. Trini made Kimberly  _ happy.  _ She didn't end up with a guy like  _ Nick Russell,  _ some jerk that would treat her like a trophy. She didn’t end up with a Fleming, someone who would stoop to spike his own girlfriend’s drink. “We should too”

There was one thing that needed to be perfectly clear. Tommy Oliver was no Nick Russell. No, he  _ had _ to be better than that. His behavior put him at rock bottom, he wasn’t the prince of Angel Grove anymore. Speaking with Nick, being  _ around _ the mayor’s son felt like facing a future if he kept going down this dark path. He had to climb out of the hole he had dug for himself before he’d turn into the self absorbed monster sitting across from him.

He only hoped that it wasn’t too late. That there was still time to salvage the foundation he cracked. 

Ranger Rule #4, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be....yes Antonio Garcia and the events of Chapter 26: Bridges Burned


	4. Antonio Garcia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy blows it big during a game of burning questions. With little hope left in his system there's a small glimmer of light in a place he'd never expect to look.
> 
> Takes place during Wild Pitch Chapter 26: Bridges Burned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're starting right off in the heat of the drama :D

“Why don’t we play a game?” Billy suggested he wasn’t a stranger to the long hours of a Saturday detention and with their supervisor asleep...this was an opportunity to capitalize on it.

“If we do we gotta move” Jason glanced over to Alpha, one wrong move and they could all get in trouble for goofing off and not doing classwork. 

“Can I play?” Tommy asked hopefully as the likes of Zack and Amanda passed him to follow Jason and Billy into the back of the room, where the taller bookshelves stood. Antonio motioned his head for the baseball captain to get up and join them. This could be his chance, a game made for the best ice breaker.

It didn’t take a brain surgeon to see how the rest of the Sandlot gang reacted to Tommy joining them. Aggravation, annoyance, anger in some. It was a bit intimidating to say the least as he sat down to join the circle. He was already feeling on edge, but the path to forgiveness wasn’t  _ easy.  _ Tommy wanted to make sure he was still a presence in their life...he had to  _ try. _

“Truth or dare?” Antonio suggested, which quickly earned a glare from Kimberly and Trini. Bummer, that was one of Tommy’s favorite party games. It was why he orchestrated dare night. No one liked the  _ truth  _ part of the game. Dare night was a way to get the softball and the baseball team out of the house, push their boundaries and test their limits. To have fun at the end of the day...to try and patch up the bitterness the girls felt after the boys won the field game.

“So what? We’ll all run around here naked? I don’t think so” Kimberly shot that down immediately. 

“Fine” Antonio rummaged through his bag to pull out a water bottle, “Spin the bottle?”

“Uh chief” Zack didn’t want to point out the obvious, “Six of us are in relationships. That’s gonna be a no go” 

“How about Burning Questions?” Amanda glanced down to the bottle, “We play like spin the bottle but whoever the bottle lands on has to answer a hot seat question”

“And what happens if we don’t want to answer a question?” Tommy asked, realizing how that came off he sighed, “Look I don’t have anything I want to hide but…” He was in the dog house, desperate, he’d do anything if it meant bonfires at night with his old friends.

“Social Suicide” As head cheerleader, Amanda took up the reigns on how to make a punishment. After the Megan incident there would be no removal of clothes. “If you don’t answer the question, the one asking gets your phone. They can send one text, or make a social media post. Nothing we say leaves here” She narrowed her eyes at Antonio, her icy glare shifted to Tommy next, “Got it?”

“Who do I have to tell?” A defeated Tommy asked, it was hard to see how easily  _ Amanda Clarke _ fit into his old group of friends...right in the hole he left. 

“So uh, who wants to go first?” Jason asked, really he would be glad to do anything but homework right now. 

“I will” Kimberly put a hand on the bottle and gave it a whirl, it landed on Jason, putting him instantly in the hot seat. “Why are you avoiding baseball?” That was a specific and intense question to ask right off of the bat. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding” Jason sighed, already regretting asking who wanted to go first. He ran a hand through his hair, “Fine, we’re all friends here right? I never want to touch a baseball again” That was  _ insane!  _

“What?” Zack was shocked that Jason was saying these words out loud. He loved the game, he announced the games, at the Sandlot he...he would play every day. There was a time where baseball was Jason’s  _ entire  _ life, “But Jason...you could easily get on the team when Adam graduates…” It was true, the quarterback had a steller arm.

“I don’t want to be on a team with Tommy. It’s as simple as that.” Jason narrowed his eyes at his old rival sitting across from him. If they were going to play the honesty game, Jason was going to rip off that band-aid and expose everyone to his wound. “Being on a team with you would be suffocating. You know why I went into football? Because I wasn’t good enough, you made that clear when I didn’t make the Dragons. Why would I ever want to be on a team where you lead? You make me feel this big” Jason put his index finger and thumb together, not showing any sort of space between them. All of the anger he had been holding in was starting to bubble over and spill in Tommy’s direction like hot lava.

He continued, fury in his eyes, “Oh Jason couldn’t make the Dragons, Jason couldn’t get the girl, Jason doesn’t have daddy’s money to buy him new cleats. You treated me like dirt all while you were supposed to be my best friend. I’d rather fuck up my leg a thousand times over than to step on that field and play second fiddle to you” 

The teasings of a child festered in Jason like a disease eating away at his confidence. Looking back it was juvenile, but oh Tommy was so happy to  _ finally _ beat his rival at something to be the  _ best.  _ The  _ best _ sure cost him alright. 

They were just words...Jason was taking it too seriously...he couldn’t handle it. 

“Jason…” Trini tried to reach out to him, but the quarterback was angry. 

“You wanna play a question game? Well let’s do it. No holding back” Six friends, an ex-friend and an outsider all sat around a circle waiting for who would be next in the hot seat. 

As close as they all were, what was buried deep inside? What was being held back for the sake of friendship?

Jason spun the bottle with purpose. The force of it all caused the bottle to take it’s grand old time before landing on Amanda. “Why did you never respond to the note I slipped in your locker in seventh grade?”

“What note?” Amanda frowned, not expecting to get a blast from a very specific past. She shook her head in confusion, her eyes wide, “I have no idea what you’re talking about”

Kimberly’s lips curled into themselves, which instantly grabbed Amanda’s attention, “Rebecca was an office runner…” And Amanda was too dumb to remember her locker combination, the girl always set it to the last digit so it would open. 

The quarterback could connect the dots, Rebecca stole the note out of Amanda’s locker before she could ever  _ see  _ it. “....So she asked me to the dance” 

Sounds like classic Rebecca Golloway, petty, mean spirited. She didn’t want to be the only one who wasn’t  _ asked _ to a dance so she sabotaged one of her so called best friends. It killed her that Kimberly was with Tommy...considering how much Jason openly disliked Tommy, it was a way to take a jab at Kimberly too.  _ Girls. _

“It’s fine. I’m over it but...I just wanted to know…” It hurt Jason enough for it to be carried with him until sophomore year of high school. 

“I am so sorry Jason…” Amanda genuinely didn’t know that someone like  _ Jason Scott _ genuinely liked her. When it came to Amanda, she carried the reputation of being the  _ easy _ one of the group. Kimberly was the leader, Rebecca the  _ bitch,  _ Megan was the soft one and Amanda...well, if a guy struck out with the likes of Rebecca and Megan they’d come knocking on her door.

“I’d call it a blessing in disguise” Trini tried to diffuse the situation, that was a dangerous game of  _ what if. _ “I think you both ended up with the person you’re supposed to be with” What a world it would be if Jason and Amanda were the couple to be...they’d give Tommy and Kimberly a run for their money.

Amanda sent Jason an apologetic smile, she then turned on her best friend, “Kim did you know about this?” 

Kimberly felt like she was on the spot, the girl had two options. Lie and put the entire buck on her former friend or come clean with the truth? “That was a long time ago…” The journey to the high road was never an easy path to take. 

“So you did” The Sandlot gang wasn’t the only group that had a long history. “What did you get a good laugh? Ha, ha, someone liked Amanda”

“I’m not saying I’m proud of it.” Kimberly rested a hand on Jason’s knee, “I’m so sorry...I was a different person back then” If that was 7th grade she only continued to be cut throat to her friends, hitting a grand high when she sent the photo of Megan that went viral. “If I could take it back I would, honestly, stuff like that is just embarrassing” To Kimberly, her past actions were cringey to think about.

“Sure.” Jason folded his arms, he could understand Rebecca being one to interfere with his note, but Kimberly? How could she do that to one of the sandlot kids? “Whatever, let’s just move on” It was all out in the air now. There was nothing any of them could do about something that happened in 7th grade. 

Kimberly could do the  _ worst,  _ had done the  _ worst _ to Megan Faherty of all people and still she was welcomed back into the group. The cheerleaders forgave her, hell, she was making her way up the softball team. How could people get past her mistakes, and not his? Kimberly was a  _ mean girl _ and a  _ bully.  _ Actively. She hurt just as many people, if not  _ more.  _ Her friends weren't even safe.

Antonio was thrilled to be sitting in and watching the drama unfold. Friends who had been together and known each other since they were ten carried a history of drama on their shoulders. This was the time to air them all out, and in the process, heal. 

Amanda spun the bottle and as fate would have it, it landed on Tommy.  _ Of course it did.  _ Tommy had to hold his breath as Amanda processed the situation, she was in the position of power, a chance to ask him  _ anything. _ The cheerleader took a moment, she couldn’t even look in his direction, she’d rather stare down the fated bottle. 

Tommy didn’t look so smug anymore, he could feel all the eyes of the circle on him. No pressure, no pressure at all. “It’s okay, let me have it” He spoke calmly. Trini had told him time and time again, if he was going to be their friend again he was going to have to earn it and be honest. No more pretending to be someone he wasn’t. No more hiding behind the mayor. 

This was Amanda’s big chance to sink her teeth into him, but something in her held back. The head cheerleader’s expression had grown soft, this wasn’t a moment to get revenge on a snarky comment. With a deflated sigh she asked, “Do you think our parents were in love?”

That wasn’t a question the golden boy was expecting. 

“Honestly?” Tommy had to think it over, “This wasn’t my dad’s first affair…” Maybe if the others understood, truly understood what it was like at home. How his father was. Did Thomas love Lisa? Hell, he wasn’t sure if his father was capable of  _ love _ or adoration. Just  _ power _ and  _ sex.  _ “But this was the longest one. I don’t know if it’s because he got away with it for so long or if it was convenient...but I want to say he cared about her...he went out of his way to buy her nice things” That was how an Oliver showed affection, through money and gifts. That or it was a bribe to get her to keep her legs open and her mouth shut. “Does that make what they did any better?”

“I don’t know” Zack rubbed his girlfriend’s back, as she was clearly trying her best not to get emotional about the situation. “I hate thinking that my mom’s been so miserable with our lives that she’d…” 

Tommy was never a huge fan of Amanda, he wasn’t a fan of any of Kimberly’s cheerleading friends for that matter. He always saw her as a sheep who would do whatever Kimberly or Rebecca would say to get ahead, and stay ahead. Tommy didn’t have much respect for the girl. Her mom was a slut that cheated on her husband, and Amanda was the loose cheerleader. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. How could someone as dumb as her take his spot in the group? There was a time Tommy pinned it all on her having a grip on Zack…

The baseball player’s expression softened...in Amanda’s vulnerability he could see the pain behind their parents mistakes. Maybe she wasn’t  _ so _ bad...

“I’m gonna snowball on that” Antonio piped in, using his fingers to motion a snowball effect, to him there was no risk. Why not poke deeper? “So your dad has all these affairs right? Why the hell is your mom still with him? Can’t they just get a divorce?” It was a fair question. This was something that Tommy wanted for his parents, “I feel a divorce looks better for a mayor than an affair with his” A pause, “No offense, but his secretary” 

“I guess you can say that my parents relationship is weird. ” Tommy started to rub his forehead, only Kimberly had caught glimpses of Tommy’s world, “They don’t even sleep in the same bed anymore...honestly I don’t even know why they’re still together. My mom needs help. When I was around eight she started her day drinking...some days she can’t even get off the couch. If she does, she just goes to the country club to spend his money. It’s like she’s become a shell of who she used to be...out of nowhere too. They argue, they fight...that’s around when my dad started to focus on my practice. If he couldn’t have his wife, he wanted the perfect son...no matter what it took”

He sighed, answering Amanda’s question honestly, “I don’t think we’ll be step siblings anytime soon”

“Oh bummer” Amanda let out a light chuckle, easing the tension, even Tommy could smile. The question on the back of her mind had been answered, she could breathe a little easier knowing that Thomas didn’t completely use her mom. Though firing her and giving her job to Trini’s hot mom...well...it was to say that the relationship between Thomas and Lisa was officially over. 

As fate would have it, Tommy spinned the bottle and it landed on Trini. Great. Fantastic. Already warming up to a fight, Trini scowled at the boy, her girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend. This was the one person Tommy didn’t want to tangle with, already he felt defeated, “I don’t really have a question for you.” 

“No?” Trini cocked her head to the side, her eyes narrowing, “Nothing at all?”

What was he _supposed_ to ask her? She was ready to jump down his throat and all he wanted to do was concede. Say that she won. Be _done,_ move on. “Just an apology” Tommy glanced over to Kimberly, the girl he carried a torch for. “For everything” He felt like this right here was his moment. 

“If you’re going to apologize you’re going to apologize to me. Look at me Tommy.” Trini pointed her finger to the girl beside her, “Don’t look at her.” 

Fine! She wanted an explanation, the truth? He was going to give it to her. Lay all of his cards down on the field. She backed him into a corner and all he could get was defensive. “You dating Kimberly came at me out of left field, okay? I didn’t take it well” Tommy sighed, “Obviously. It wasn’t because you’re a girl-”

“Oh here we fucking go again” Trini shook her head, not convinced, tired of having to spell this out, “Your little ego was hit hard that I was the one that she chose. You think you’d have this little temper tantrum if she dated Zack?”

“No.” Tommy answered quickly, intimidated by Trini’s harsh glare, he wanted to get his words in before being cut off again, “I wouldn’t take that relationship seriously” Zack was definitely offended by his statement, but it was true. Kimberly and Zack...what would come of that? She wouldn’t settle for a pizza delivery boy, not for a  _ relationship _ not for  _ love.  _ Tommy was sure of it. “Not Zack” His eyes traveled to Jason, his rival, “If it was Jason...yeah I’d be threatened and I’d probably do the same thing I won’t lie”

Jason spat, “Oh you son of a bitch” That’s what it boiled down to. Jason used to have a crush on Kimberly...it’d be a gut punch to Tommy if Kimberly went to his rival.

“I’m just trying to be honest! Let me talk!” Tommy had to let out a deep sigh, his jumping wasn’t getting his point across very well. He was trying! He was being honest! Wasn’t that what they wanted? This wasn’t a game. “It was shitty what I did. I couldn’t let Kim go...part of me felt like she’d always come back to me. We didn’t break up because something went wrong”

“Oh ho!” Kimberly leaned back, her head tilted up to the ceiling, “You don’t think anything went wrong in our relationship?”

“Not…really…” Tommy saw what everyone else saw of them, the perfect couple. The future prom king and queen. High school sweethearts. That she would be cheering him on as he broke ground on the professional baseball level. “But clearly I’m wrong.” It was one bad reaction to a  _ pregnancy test.  _ He would’ve been there for her. He would’ve! And the baby if she kept it.

“You’re damn right. It’s not about the thing Tommy. Every time something got hard, you ran, you ghosted, you left me in the dark to deal with whatever on my own and it was scary as hell.” She counted off on her fingers, ready for this talk at the instant, “You were never there for me the way I was there for you. We weren’t equals. I was always Tommy Oliver’s girlfriend. We would’ve never worked out. I was right to end it. Look what happens if you don’t get what you want” 

Tommy’s heart started to thump in his chest, his stomach queasy from internally flipping on him. Was that how she saw their relationship? No...no...

Kimberly pointed to Jason, “You threw your best friend under the bus to sell out and become a Dragon” To Zack, “You treated him like you didn’t know him when he made the baseball team. What was that about? Afraid that they’d like him more? That he’d take your captain spot?” He should’ve been better with integrating Zack on the team, but all Thomas saw was a threat to Tommy’s career. They didn’t know how much Thomas wanted him to haze the new kids, remind them who was the _best._ The one at the top. If Tommy just took himself back, ignored them...that was better. Baseball was all that mattered.  
  
They didn’t understand! ...They didn’t want to...

Next she pointed to Amanda, “You completely disrespect my best friend” Billy, “He was so traumatized by the Sandlot breaking up that he doesn’t even play sports anymore” Trini, “You meant it when you called her a bitch.” She then tapped on her own chest, “You treat me like I’m some prize to be won. With Jason, with Trini. We’re not mad at you because of the Riley thing, or getting wrapped up Briarwood shit. Rivalry week makes us all crazy. Red fucked with all of us. No. You’re a shitty friend, you’re a shitty boyfriend.”

And a shitty human being. He heard it loud and clear, multiple times. Hell he wasn’t perfect, he made mistakes, but so did they! Except for maybe Billy...

“Woo damn and I thought my friend group had problems” Antonio broke the tension, patting Tommy on the back, Tommy flinching away from him. 

“The Sandlot was the best thing that happened to me, you guys were the best thing that happened to me. And I ruined it….when we should have stuck together, we broke apart” Tommy shook his head, “It all boils down to me” And his father for buying and taking over the Sandlot for his personal gain. “If I could take it all back, if I could have a do-over I would...but life doesn’t work that way. I am so sorry Zack. Billy. Amanda....Jason...Kimberly...Trini. I promise, I want to move forward with you guys. Remember bonfires? Come on. We spent New Years at my house...it was like the old days again. Having to watch you guys reconnect, have lunches together at Ernie’s without me...it’s really hitting home that I blew it” 

“Don’t you realize I was willing to bury the hatchet with you? Despite everything” Jason was the first one to speak, he was the one that was most apprehensive about Tommy joining them on baseball training. The only reason they had asked him was because he had access to the batting cages, “The New Year was your second chance, it was with me and all you proved to me was that you’re a snake... just like your father.”

“Don’t you dare compare me to him” Tommy may’ve felt the lowest he had ever felt but he  _ wasn’t _ fucking Nick Russell and he sure as  _ hell _ wasn’t capable of being his father. That one struck the chord, set his anger ablaze. He could lie down and take a beating from his friends in a peace offering to start over but this? No. No he wasn’t his  _ father.  _

“Oh I’m sorry Mr. Oliver” Jason wasn’t backing down, he always put himself as the protector of the group, he would gladly fight Tommy Oliver if it meant defending his friends. “How is you trying to steal Kimberly from Trini not the same thing as your dad sleeping with Mrs. Clark while Mr. Clark was off at sea?”

He snapped quickly, “Because I never actually did it!” All of this boiled down to fucking dare night. On a night that  _ didn’t _ happen. They were hating him on a technicality an...an  _ almost.  _ “Okay, yes, I rigged Dare Night. But Gia Moran was my partner, not Kim. I didn’t make a move on her, I didn’t kiss her...as much as I want to be with Kimberly again I never acted on it” How was this persecution even fair? He didn’t even  _ touch _ her.

“But you would have” Zack wasn’t buying that as an excuse, “If everything went according to your master plan, you would have kissed her.”

Tommy shook his head, this was getting ridiculous, a hypothetical! Now the baseball star was irritated, they weren’t even  _ trying _ to see things from his side, just quick to throw down the hammer on him, “The card said that she had to kiss me. If she’s as loyal to Trini as you all think she is, she wouldn’t have done it….it would’ve ended there. Now can we please just move forward with our lives? Put this all behind us?” Jason seemed to get over Kimberly knowing about his little note quickly. Why couldn’t they get past something that didn’t even happen? 

_ Nothing happened. _

“Hold on” Kimberly put up a finger, “What is that supposed to mean?” She was on a moral high horse now with Trini at her side. There was a day where Kimberly would flirt with boys just to make Tommy jealous. This was the same girl who dated  _ Ty Fleming _ and sent around a nude of one of her close friends. Trini didn’t know the Kimberly that  _ Tommy  _ did. 

“I’m done. Nope. I’m out. I’m going to listen to this anymore. I can’t keep having this conversation over and over. I’m done.” Amanda stood up, “Grow up, Junior” That was the venom dipped dagger that struck his heart. 

Shit.  _ Shit!  _ He stepped on a landmine and it blew up in his face. He was defensive and angry and that wasn’t going to get him anywhere. “Guys….wait….I’m sorry! I’m trying to apologize to everyone...please, I just want another chance” 

“I’d rather do homework” Zack shrugged his shoulders, he was the next to get up, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend’s waist, “You never once asked me how my mom was doing” 

That….Tommy never wanted to intrude...he never knew what to say when it came to Zack’s mother. 

“Billy…” Tommy tried to speak with the sensitive one of the group, the one who showed the most loyalty to the gang. The one who had been silent as the others started to rip each other apart. 

“My dad was a simple guy, he didn’t really want much out of the world to make him happy. He loved his wife, he loved me. He loved listening to his music, taking walks in the parks, fishing on summer weekends and listening to his Cincinnati Reds. He loved baseball, taught Jason how to pitch when Mr. Scott only wanted him to play football. I would spend a lot of time in the front yard playing catch with him, my mom would watch us from the porch. I love baseball, I breathe baseball, because it’s one of the only things that reminds me of those summer days” Billy shook his head, “When you left the Sandlot and took Kimberly with you, you ruined baseball for me. Now instead of my dad, and those memories I think of the day you broke my heart. There was a time I wanted to give you another chance. To get the gang back together...only…”

The boy stood up, to disappoint Billy Cranston was a cardinal sin. “You don’t even know what the word friendship means, what love is. These guys aren’t my friends, they're my family. You’ve already taken baseball away from me, my heart can’t take another disappointment” 

Billy left the circle so he could go see Amanda and Zack. Four Sandlotters remain, and Antonio watching it all unfold. As long as Trini and Kimberly were sitting there, Jason would be with them, ready to jump in if Tommy tried to strong arm them. 

With Billy out...that was it...all hope drained out of Tommy’s being.

“I don’t know how many times we have to go through this” Kimberly not only had to break up with Tommy as a boyfriend, but as a friend as well. “You can’t even make an apology without getting defensive and attacking us, attacking me.” She was the next person to stand, “People aren’t friends with their ex’s for a reason...I’m out of rope Tommy. I really wish you well, but I can’t do this anymore. Maybe try seeing a therapist...get some real help. Getting us back isn’t going to instant cure your problems”

Jason and Trini remained. The two people that Tommy had hurt the most over time. 

“You guys going to tell me how much I suck?” The others already casted their stones.

“I think everyone’s covered it pretty well” Trini looked over to Jason, the boy nodded in agreement. It was as plain as day. “This is the last time we’re going to say this to you, leave us alone, we’re done playing this push and pull game. Three strikes and you’re out dude, that’s how it goes”

“Stay away from Billy” Jason narrowed his eyes, “Come on Trini, I think it’s a game over”

_ Ranger Rule #4 was officially  dead. _

Tommy blew a big opportunity to get back into the group, or at least try and ease into their good graces. Antonio understood what Tommy was going through, he was the cause of a lot of the GSA’s dramas in the past. Of course he pushed for a game to let Tommy try to prove himself only for him to blow himself up in the process. Still, Antonio took pity over him. He had a shitty dad as well, Antonio was beaten and kicked out of his home for being a little too bi-leaning towards guys. Tommy didn’t need the Sandlot, he needed a guy like Antonio who understood him in a way the others didn’t. 

“You ever hear of Kendo?” Antonio asked as Trini turned away, his invitation, his reaching out and giving Tommy some fresh blood to be around was the real second chance he needed in life. 

Tommy sat in a state of shock, one by one the people he wanted to be around the most were _officially_ done with him. The anchor tied around his neck was sinking him deeper and deeper into the ocean. What now? How would he ever see the surface again? _What now?_

“Hey” Antonio, the senior, the guy who didn’t leave their little play arena still hung back. He only knew the kid through other people. What he saw was a guy kicked while he was down, someone who he could relate to. “You ever hear of Kendo?” He repeated, softer this time.

“What?” Tommy felt bad, he didn’t even realize he wasn’t alone at this moment. That someone else was here to pick at the breadcrumbs left in a friendship breakup’s wake. “Uh, no, I haven’t” 

“You wanna come hang out with me after this whole” With a finger, Antonio made a circle to motion around the library. “Detention sentence thing?”

“Why?” Why would a senior want to hang out with him? Spend time with him? Didn’t he hear the others run down the laundry list of all the terrible things he had done to fuck over the people he cared about? “I’m not the guy you wanna be around” 

Antonio resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Tommy’s self deprecation. “Because I’ve been there” He leaned back against the shelf of books, “I know what it’s like,  _ believe me,  _ it’s not a fun place to be”

“What the GSA? You guys feel like a family…” A tight knit group of best friends, who came together to try and better this school. 

“That’s the thing about  _ family,  _ family is complicated and messy. When it comes down to it, we protect each other, but are we  _ friends?  _ I don’t know” Antonio stretched out his legs, he knew they were going to be sitting there for awhile. With Trini and her group out by the tables, an unspoken barrier was created. Crossing it, getting near it would unleash a world of unpleasant uncomfortableness. Antonio wasn’t much for the aftermath of drama, he’d weather out the storm of detention from a distance with his new acquaintance. 

“You guys hang out all the time…”

“Does that make a friend? I guess in some ways it does” He rested his hands behind his neck, “Mia doesn’t like me, I know she doesn’t, I get under her skin. When no one else is around, it’s like we have to walk on eggshells around each other. Don’t want to cause a ripple in the group whose foundation is so thin” 

He continued, pensively looking at his shoes, “Kevin? He’s a nice guy, but I think he can sense the way I get when I’m around him”

Tommy listened on, he wasn’t close with the GSA. Not in a way Trini and Kimberly were. All of this was brand new information, but a reminder that what was on the surface wasn’t all that it seemed. 

“It’s hard for me to watch Kevin and Jayden, this perfect couple. They’re so happy, which makes me miserable. I’m the asshole.” Antonio lived at Shiba Grove, facing the daily reminder that he screwed up and let the one he cared about most drift away. At least Tommy didn’t  _ live _ with Kimberly, have to be so close to her every day while she was with someone else.

That struck a chord with Tommy...he was the asshole of the group too. Even when they were ten.

“Why are you telling me this?” Tommy asked, why was Antonio bearing his soul and shining a light on the ugliness that loomed within his own friend group.

“Who are you gonna tell?” Antonio asked, all of Tommy’s friends were sitting out in the main room planning a beach trip that didn’t include him. “Game rules is that what’s said here stays here”

“I think the game is over…”

“You’re here, I’m still here” Antonio shrugged, “Burning questions isn’t a team sport, there’s no points, no winning or losing. Just dirt” A smile returned to his face, “Ask me anything”  _ Anything _ to get Tommy through this tough period of time. 

“Uh okay” Tommy racked his brain to try and think of a  _ good _ question. After all, no one liked a lame party question. “Why’d you and Jayden break up? Weren’t you like a  _ thing?” _

“Look, sophomore year I was pretty messed up. Sign me up for president of the bad dads club” A club Tommy would be more than happy to sign up for, “Did a lot of dumb shit, cheated on Jayden...which oof that one dumb mistake caused a chain of reaction from hell” 

“If you love him so much, why did you cheat on him?” 

“Ah ah, no, I get a turn to ask  _ you  _ something Tomcat”

“Uh” Tommy wasn’t sure what Antonio  _ could  _ have asked. He had already learned of so much controversy. Thomas Oliver having an affair with Lisa Clarke, Tommy rigging dare night to try and get Kimberly back, the way he used to taunt Jason as kids. He had a track record that he wasn’t proud of. “Okay”

“What the hell is with the hair?” Antonio tilted his head, asking a question Tommy wasn’t expecting in a million years.

“Oh, it’s dumb”

“Nothing that’s personal to you could ever be dumb” Antonio clicked his tongue, “Not a lot of guys can pull that look off”

“It drives my dad nuts” Tommy admitted, it seemed so silly but he grew his hair out of spite. “He’s all about this  _ image,  _ he tries to control my life in every way he can but he can’t control this...it’s my subtle way of saying  _ fuck you dad”  _

“Oh I’m gonna like you”

“So why cheat on Jayden?”

“It’s  _ not _ a  _ good _ reason” Antonio prefaced, holding a finger up, he knew how this would all sound, “Jayden was always so negative—-fear does that to you. He was so scared of being himself, ruining his parents “legacy”, he thought Ji would disown him if he was gay...somehow lead to him’n’Laure getting put into foster care. Granted this was all fresh after  _ I  _ got kicked out of my house. He had a reason to be freaked out” Antonio sat forward, hugging his legs, “He made a deal with Mia to fake their relationship so everyone in Angel Grove would know he’s straight. I was  _ his _ in the dark. I was  _ his _ at Shiba Grove. It made me so angry to see them kiss at school, hold hands whatever that whole couple thing” 

“Then there was Lucas Kendall, star basketball player...Mr. Popular, fuck he was hot and had a sexy ass car. Being  _ seen  _ by him I felt this rush, I didn’t feel this sense of  _ misery  _ with him. It was  _ fun.  _ He was  _ fun.”  _ He shook his head at the memory, “He was using me for sure, but there was a fire there...a danger...I didn’t  _ care  _ anymore. I was an idiot.”

Antonio ran a hand through his hair, “It was a dick move, for sure. I’ll never forget the night Mia caught us...so no, it wasn’t worth losing Jayden over. Biggest mistake of my life.” 

“I’m….uh….” Tommy swallowed, “I’m sorry” What else was he supposed to say?

“It sucks being in love with someone who’s moved on” Is the heart of what Antonio was trying to get at, “Watching Trini and Kimberly is like Jayden and Kevin...that emptiness yeah it’s not great”

“I think you’d like Kendo” He went back to his original question, “You look like a dude who could find himself in martial arts”

“It’s not like I have anywhere else I need to be…” He sighed, as he wasn’t thrilled to go back home. Nothing good would come out of it, he would stew in his feelings of being left out, cut out. “I can give it a shot”

“Yesss, you won’t regret it” He glanced for his phone to check the time, there was enough for one last question, “You into guys at all?”

“No…” Tommy had to be very careful about what he said next, “Is that what this is about?”

“Ahhh not entirely” Antonio laughed, “Hey I gotta take my shots when I can” He shrugged, not at all upset about his 0% chance of messing around with Tommy Oliver, “I promise, we’ll have some fun”

“Can I ask you one more thing?” 

Antonio shrugged his shoulders, he could start to hear Trini and her group start to shuffle out of the library. Their time served in detention was wrapping up, “Sure”

“How is that so easy to talk about? You don’t...know me” And here Antonio was sharing his pain like an open book. 

“Somethin’ about being able to talk about your past is healthy? No festering for me. It’s cliche as hell, but two years ago in high school time feels like a lifetime” The shorter boy got to his feet, offering his hand for Tommy to take, “It  _ does _ get better in time, how much time it takes ah that’s up to you, up to  _ them. _ You can’t snap your fingers and everything’s a-okay. That’s not how people heal. The big question I have for  _ you _ Tomcat is...what is your next step?”

Tommy thought about it, he could choose to wallow in his mistakes, tear himself left and right wondering how to fix an unchangeable past, or he could step forward. Take a chance on someone new, “I’m going to learn Kendo”

*****

Tommy Oliver himself had never gone across town where Shiba Grove sat. A beautiful home that was well worth over a million just for the land itself with the mountains in the back. It was hard for the kids at Angel Grove to remember that Jayden and Lauren came from a wealthy background, they didn’t  _ act _ like the rich kids. They never boasted about their money the way Summer or Tommy did. Then again, their small fortune came from the life insurance on their parents heads. 

Such a shame that this luxury estate garnered the name of the  _ fag house.  _ People didn’t  _ visit _ Shiba Grove, not after Jayden and Lauren came out of the closet. Antonio Garcia lived with them, Mia Watanabe went from dating a brother to a sister. The reputation struck fear into parents, that nothing  _ good _ happened here. From the curse of orphans to a sex driven house. The Shiba’s weren’t popular, the Shiba’s went from a beloved family to the  _ rejects  _ and  _ losers _ that lived far away from everyone else. 

Antonio brought Tommy to the backyard, and he thought living on the lake was  _ nice. _ It pales in comparison to the Shiba’s backyard. A koi pond, beautiful imported trees, a calming miniature river with an arched bridge, and of course a sparring square for Jayden and his friends to practice martial arts. The Japanese influence wasn’t lost on the structure of the house. Everything felt... _ calm.  _

Before them, Jayden and Lauren were intently focused on their yoga for the day. The brother and sister duo faced one another, their hands firmly on the ground while their knees bent, their curling in like a scorpion’s tail, their feet barely above their head. It was a shame Angel Grove didn’t have a gymnastics team, Tommy was amazed to see how flexible  _ Jayden _ was. And Lauren? Woo...yeah, there was no doubt in Tommy’s mind that he was exclusively attracted to women.

“...Can you do that?”

“Shit I  _ wish”  _ Antonio commented, “Yo Jay!” Tommy held his breath as Antonio shouted at his best friend, hoping that Jayden wouldn’t be startled or fall on his face. “Wanna spar? I’ve got my new buddy here” He patted Tommy’s chest, personal boundaries who?

Tommy could see the sigh coming from Jayden’s chest, the Shiba boy opened his eyes and glanced over into the direction of the loud intrusion. “Ah…”

“Hmm” Lauren was the first to slowly move out of her bend, returning to her feet to stand properly upright. She was the one to spot her brother, making sure he kept balance and not hurt himself. “Of all the strays to bring home, I wasn’t expecting Tommy Oliver” Jayden hummed a response, quietly agreeing.

A stray dog, what an odd thing to compare him too...yet...without his friends he was left wandering along. Where to go next? The Shiba’s took in Antonio when he was at his worst, giving the boy shelter and love. The rejects, the weirdos, the gays of Angel Grove found safety here at Shiba Grove...in a way, Tommy belonged here. 

“Alright...but you’re going to have to change” Jayden rested his hands on his hips, “If we’re doing this, we’re doing this right” They weren’t closing the door in his face, not even Lauren who had a front row seat to his behavior.

“They’re very into the traditional” Antonio brought a hand up to the side of his face, over exaggerating that he was talking about the Shiba siblings. “C’mon, follow me, I’ll get you some digs while they get ready” 

“Uh...sure” 

The inside of Shiba Grove was filled with hallways and open space, a house too large even though four people were inhabiting it. Tommy was lost looking at their decorations, all Eastern inspired, to match the backyard. No wonder Jayden grew up to be the type of kid who collected and displayed katanas in his room, and participated in martial arts tournaments. 

“The gang comes by a lot so Ji got us some more personal practice gear” Antonio led Tommy to a bench in the mudroom, there black garments were neatly folded and separated by the color piping, the Shiba family symbol embroidered on the left chest in a bright gold. “Take your pick”

Tommy glanced over his options, pink and yellow? Those were not calling to him. He wasn’t much of a blue fan either, despite Angel Grove’s official color being Carolina and Navy. Tommy always gravitated to his favorite color,  _ green _ when he had the option. “This one is Mike’s, isn’t it?” He asked, resting his hand on the top.

“Ha you got it” Antonio grabbed his out of the lineup, black trimmed in gold, how suiting. He had no problem starting to change in the closed space, taking off his shirt in favor of something more comfortable to fight in. “We’re pretty predictable aren’t we?”

Red, blue, green, yellow, pink, gold. Tommy could easily guess who belonged to what color, “Do you have anything that’s new?” He didn’t want to step on any toes, he didn’t want to wear something that belonged to someone else.

“Well…” Antonio trailed off, having pulled his top on, he reached for a set that was still wrapped in the plastic that it had come in. Black on black with no trimming, no embroidered Shiba logo, it was completely blank. “There’s this”

“I’ll take it” Tommy smiled, accepting the offering, it could be something that he could call  _ his.  _ If only for the afternoon. A fresh start into a new chapter of his life. “This place is pretty cool”

“Ha, yeah, it is” Antonio teased, folding his arms and averting his eyes as Tommy started to change. “What were you expecting, pride flags and leather dungeons?” He knew that Shiba Grove didn’t have the reputation it used to. He was part of the problem, the boy who famously went to homecoming in a dress. “Nah, that’s what the basement is for if you’re into that kind of thing” Antonio waited for the implication to settle into Tommy’s mind before laughing, “I’m  _ kidding”  _

“Right...ha...of course”

“Ah you’ll get used to it” Antonio slapped his arm, “Let’s go”  _ You’ll get used to it.  _ It was a simple gesture on the older boy, but he didn’t realize how much it meant...that it gave Tommy hope that there was  _ someone _ out there who saw him, cared about him in some fashion. 

Antonio guided Tommy back out to the backyard where Lauren and Jayden were in the squared off part of the yard specifically for their sparring sessions. The brother and sister wore helmets that reminded Tommy of what fencer’s used. A full covering with a mesh mask for the players to see. In their hands they held bamboo practice swords swatting at one another with such quick elegance and grace. 

“Show offs” Antonio pulled two bamboo swords tossing one in Tommy’s direction. “Lemme teach you a couple of swings before we go into the ring”

Tommy, like the Shiba siblings, naturally picked up physical skills with relative ease. He was so used to hitting a small target of a baseball moving in the blink of an eye. Swinging a sword felt... _ good,  _ it felt  _ right. _ As a young boy he wished his dad would let him take martial arts at Shiba Grove, before their reputation sunk into the gutter. Tommy thought it was always  _ so _ cool, he wished he could break boards with his hand or foot. But it  _ wasn’t _ baseball, he couldn’t divide his focus. Not on a  _ hobby _ that would get him nowhere. There was no way Thomas Oliver would let his son step out of line.

Swing down with power, swing left, swing right, block, protect. Unlike baseball, there was constant moving, action---reaction. Once Jayden and Lauren were finished with their example spar off, it was Antonio and Tommy’s turn. The Shiba siblings coached from the side as if it were a boxing match. Really, for Tommy there was no  _ strategy,  _ or  _ style,  _ he just wanted to swing and make contact with the other Kendo stick. To feel  _ something _ other than drowning in regret.

He didn’t think there was much of a chance to salvage the friendship with Amanda Clarke. She was always one of  _ Kimberly’s _ best friends, one who would be around in his life when they were dating. Tommy wasn’t much of a fan of the tall blonde, nor he did like Rebecca Golloway. Means girls. He could always separate Kimberly from her head cheerleader antics but for the other members of KARM he held them at arm's length. Tommy never gave Amanda a  _ chance.  _ When he learned of the affair...he took it out on Amanda and got slapped hard for it. 

Tommy blew his second chance with Jason. The Sandlot gang reunited with one goal, to get Kimberly on the softball team. Jason and Tommy had their bumps along the way, but they were willing to bury their past for the girls. For  _ Kimberly.  _ Now the quarterback looks at him with hate in his eyes and ice running through his veins. Why would he give him a third?

The one that hurt the most, was Billy even gave up on him.  _ Billy.  _

There was no going  _ back _ from that. Tommy had to face the hard facts that just because they had a special bond when they were kids didn’t mean that nostalgia would trump all odds. He was toxic to them. A hard pill to swallow. The boy who was used to getting everything he wanted was cut off from the people he wanted most. Amputated like a flesh eating disease threatening to take over. 

Antonio only felt bad for him at the core, but Tommy felt a connection and a thread of hope in the senior. Was that too much to put on someone? Tommy was out in the ocean splashing around desperate to hold onto anything that would take him to the surface. 

Maybe he was reading in too much…

All he wanted was a friend.

_ Someone.  _

_ Anyone. _

Antonio was able to see each and every one of Tommy’s swings coming. He was a beginner, messy, and aimless. He held a cocky grin behind the mesh mask, moving his body side to side to dodge each and every one. Tommy was going to have to  _ focus _ in order to hit the senior.

Tommy was able to see past his short opponent. Mia Watanabe and Kevin Barron had let themselves into the backyard to visit their significant other in the Shiba siblings. The president of the GSA wrapped her arms around her sturdy stoic warrior of a girlfriend, surprising her with a soft kiss on the cheek. The star swimmer on the other hand chose to drape his arm around Jayden’s shoulder, the boy turning his head for a proper kiss as a greeting. 

“Hey, Mia and I wanted to know if you guys wanted to go into town for dinner tonight” Kevin beamed, as happy as could be, “Road trip to Panorama?”

The stoic blonde went from intensely watching the fight to an excited child on Christmas Eve at the mention of the other city, “Yeah?” She leaned back into Mia’s arms, it was the most Tommy had ever seen Lauren naturally  _ happy _ and  _ smiley.  _

“Who’s he fighting?” Kevin asked, nodding his head in the direction of Antonio and Tommy on the mat. With the masks on, there was no way to distinguish who was wearing the all black practice uniform. 

“Tommy Oliver” Jayden took away the chance for Tommy to have a dramatic reveal. Kevin and Mia both fell quiet, Tommy’s toxic reach affected them as well. 

“Hmm, well.” Mia’s words were sharp and to the point.

For being cocky moments ago, Antonio stopped dodging and started on a full on assault. Hearing Kevin’s voice was like a trigger in him, all Tommy could do to protect himself from getting hit was raise his sword and try to predict Antonio’s swing. 

“Hey! This is his first time, remember?” Jayden had to break away from his boyfriend to intervene in the map. As a teacher himself, he wanted to make sure that Tommy would be safe. Pulling a bamboo sword of his own he interjected the fight by deflecting one of Antonio’s blows and pushing back enough to startle him. “Cool down” 

Tommy understood what Antonio was feeling. Trini’s presence, Kimberly being all over the girl put him on edge, it used to irritate the hell out Tommy like chicken pox. Jealousy ate away at everything, leaving a shell...or in Tommy’s case---a monster. 

Antonio had to take off his mask to breathe in fresh air, he sent Tommy a sympathetic smile. He was supposed to be helping the sophomore find an interest in kendo, not scare him the hell away. “Sorry, got in my head”

“I’ve never seen that much fire in you” Kevin chuckled, “Maybe you’ll finally be able to beat Mike” As everyone in the GSA knew there was  _ no _ beating a Shiba. “You guys want to go to dinner with us?”

Lauren and Mia, Jayden and Kevin, down to Mike and Emily...Antonio didn’t need another reminder that he was the odd man out. A fifth wheel on a double date. He patted Tommy’s chest behind him, “Nah I’ve got dinner plans, but thanks for asking. You don’t need me around for a double date”

Tommy had taken off his mask just in time to see the  _ relief _ wash over Mia that Antonio declined Kevin’s invitation. 

“Are you sure?” Jayden pressed on anyway, unable to read both Antonio and Mia. Lauren just wanted food and Kevin was oblivious to it all that lied beneath the surface. 

“Ah yeah” Tommy jumped in, “Maybe we’ll have to rain check” He rested his helmet under his arm, “But thanks for the offer”

It was in that moment where Tommy realized that Antonio needed him, just as much as Tommy needed Antonio. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Antonio's element is light after all ;) who better to pull Tommy out of his darkness
> 
> Next chapter is 27/Pride Prom


	5. Megan Faherty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One night is all it takes to change everything. 
> 
> Takes Place During Chapter 27 of Wild Pitch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3 It's a new month some new excitement!
> 
> Warnings: Tommy and his dad to get a little contentious in this chapter

Tommy started to spend more time after baseball practice at Shiba Grove. He didn’t dare tell his father or his family, it was best to keep things vague. Out with the guys. It wasn’t  _ totally  _ off. The  _ guys  _ just happened to be Jayden Shiba and Antonio Garcia over the baseball team. Learning martial arts from the Shiba siblings was  _ cathartic  _ in a way, something  _ new.  _

Baseball wasn’t  _ fun  _ anymore, not for Tommy Oliver. His heart wasn’t in it the same way. Everything  _ good  _ attached to the sport chipped away one friend at a time, until he was left with footage and batting cages to push himself to the limit. 

Karate, the Kendo, it excited him. Breathed a new life into his hollowed out spirit. Most importantly, it gave him a reason to wake up in the morning and keep  _ going _ instead of succumbing to these feelings of hopelessness. 

Whenever Mike or Kevin would come around, Antonio took that as an opportunity to invite Tommy out fishing in the mountains. Avoiding people that caused tension with another hobby. Despite his father's occupation, Antonio loved going out into nature and spending a quiet afternoon  _ fishing.  _ It was safe space, and he allowed Tommy into it. He talked about one day getting a proper boat, but that required money. As much as Tommy wanted to make that happen for his new friend, he had to stop himself. People shouldn’t be bought, or palacited. 

Mr. Cranston used to take Jason, Billy, Zack and Tommy out to the woods like this and teach them the basics. Help them hook works and take the fish off. He was the best man Tommy had ever known. A man who took in young boys whose daddy’s didn’t love them. Jason’s dad didn’t appreciate his son until he played  _ football,  _ his game. Zack’s dad vanished. And Tommy’s dad? He was only just getting started. 

Tommy hadn’t touched a fishing pole in years. After William Cranston’s death, he  _ couldn’t.  _ How disappointed would Billy’s dad be knowing how Tommy ended up? 

The two high schoolers sat out on the dock, waiting for a fish to bite. Once the Sandlot broke up, Tommy lost the only real  _ guy  _ best friend he had in Jason. Despite having the Dragons and the baseball team he didn’t have a  _ best friend  _ or confidant like  _ this.  _ No one on one. The only  _ person  _ he had in his life was Kimberly, the girl he dated. 

Tommy saw the glint in Antonio’s eye as he tapped away on his phone. So much so that he had to comment, “What’re you doing?” 

“Getting a prom date” He grinned, waggling the phone enough for Tommy to see the contact name.  _ Tori Hanson.  _ The one officially single girl on the softball team left. 

Tommy knew Tori well enough through all the times baseball and softball did things together. The easy going surfer and Cameron Watanabe ran in the same circle. She was Zack Taylor’s work wife at Zedd’s Pizza. Her breakup with Blake Bradley was ugly, Tommy knew that much from a distance. 

“How can you date people if you’re so in love with Jayden?”

“Because I never let anyone in anymore. I’m here for a good time, not a long time” Antonio shook his head, “If you’re not in love, you can’t break” He was on the hook up train, “Tori’s hot, have you seen her in her videos?”

Tommy wasn’t like Antonio, he couldn’t freely be with someone. Maybe he was old fashioned, but he liked the idea of  _ knowing  _ the girls,  _ liking  _ the girls... _ loving  _ the girls he was with. If Antonio was still so in love with Jayden this method wasn’t working out so hot for him. Just a distraction to run away from the real heart of the problem. 

“She just got out of a relationship”

“Which is perfect!” Antonio exclaimed, if they weren’t getting fish yet he may’ve scared them off, “Then she won’t get attached”

A long pause, he seemed to know what he was talking about… “Have you, uh” Tommy couldn’t help the teasing smile on his face, “Have you ever  _ been  _ with a girl? I could give you pointers” 

Antonio didn’t take offense, everyone and their mom knew that Garcia swung more towards guys. “Oh you’re cute” He laughed, “But if anyone needs pointers it’s you, Homecoming Prince” 

He was probably right. The only person he had slept with was Kimberly and that ended freshman year. He couldn’t find it in his heart to even  _ try  _ again with someone new. He didn’t feel the same way about another girl…

“On moving on? Yeah, I don’t think you’re my go to for that” 

Antonio rolled his eyes dramatically, “At least I’m getting some” Tori was the type to put out, neither boy had to say it. “Like it matters, I’m graduating soon, gotta have all the fun I can while it’s still good”

Graduating. Tommy hated that his new friendship had an expiration date. Antonio, the Shiba Siblings they would all be gone by the time junior year started. Alone again, it wasn’t something Tommy  _ liked _ to think about. 

“What’re you going to do?” 

“What? With my life?” Antonio shrugged his shoulders. He had until graduation to live at Shiba Grove, and he sure as hell wasn’t getting anything from dead old mom and dad. “Gotta find a job and a place to live” College wasn’t in his future, not unless he wanted to go into student debt. “I’ve always wanted to be a hibachi chef...you know those guys at the Japanese restaurants”

Living with Jayden and Lauren for years has their influence on Antonio for sure. 

“I’ve been teaching myself the tricks...it’s not much of a  _ dream job _ but…”

“I think that’s cool” Tommy felt like he didn’t have a  _ choice _ in a dream. His future was a one way street to the MLB. A chance to be the best on the highest level, a contract that bound him to the sport...the salary and luxuries were worth it. But it wasn’t  _ his  _ dream...he never had a chance to stop and think what he wanted to do with his life. Outside of baseball, Tommy was  _ nothing.  _ “So...what you’re saying is that you’re gonna make me steaks sometime”

“Hey if you provide the goods I’ll make you whatever the hell you want” For him, it’d make for some good practice. 

“Deal” 

His phone buzzed in his lap, Antonio’s grin grew wide, “She said yes” Prom was going to be an absolute blast. Antonio didn’t have to be the only one in his friend group without a date anymore, and for that Tommy was excited for him. 

*****

A few days later, Tommy had taken Antonio up on his deal to cook him dinner. Being a polite house guest he bought stakes for Lauren and Jayden as well. The Shiba Siblings didn’t  _ have _ to let him into their home, let alone teach him some martial arts. Tommy had a record of being especially an ass towards Lauren, but after Mr. Gomez’s heart attack, the two captains had a silent but mutual understanding of one another. 

“You’ve been working hard” Jayden pulled Tommy aside as Antonio started to get ready in the kitchen. “I have something for you” From behind his back, Jayden pulled out a black training uniform with white piping, the Shiba symbol located on the left chest and on the right the name  _ Tommy _ was embroidered. “So you don’t have to borrow anymore, this is  _ yours”  _

“What?” Tommy stroked his thumb along the Shiba clan’s symbol. A symbol that he  _ belonged _ somewhere. Jayden didn’t have to go out and do anything for him, the free lessons were more than kind enough. “You...oh wow thank you”

Jayden clapped his hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “You’re on a journey, people don’t just  _ come _ here” That much was true. Shiba Grove was open to the dejected, rejected, and wandering souls. “I chose the color white for you, a new beginning” Cleanliness, “Healing” Jayden didn’t smile much, so Tommy knew he was genuine when he said, “You’re always welcome here. When things get rough, or scary, or you don’t feel safe going home...you’ll have a bed, a room...a space to call yours”

The symbol represented family and with Jayden and Lauren as the only two members of the Shiba’s left, they had to rely on  _ friends _ and other people to make up for the blood that was spilled. The GSA, their family was  _ complicated,  _ sometimes they didn’t even like one another, but they knew they were a part of something bigger.

“Ha…I might have to take you up on that” Tommy couldn’t show his appreciation enough for everything Antonio, Jayden and Lauren had done for him in such a short period of time.

“Let’s make sure Antonio doesn’t cut himself on a stupid knife trick” Jayden sighed, exhasperated, his best friend was going to prematurely turn his hair gray with worry at this rate. 

Tommy set his new practice gear into his backpack, somewhere where it could stay clean and safe, before heading back into the kitchen. At the center island, Antonio was entertaining Lauren with flipping the knives and catching them, the softball captain only half paying attention as she was responding to her girlfriend’s text messages. Jayden sat himself on the stool next to hers, tapping her leg to get her attention.

“Did Mia talk with Principal Frank?” Jayden asked curiously, his brows perking up in nervous anticipation. 

Tommy slowly sat down, confused, he tried to search for Antonio’s expression for clues to what they could be talking about. “What am I missing?”

The chef of the evening was quick to answer that, “GSA’s basically barred from buying tickets to prom” Antonio shook his head, having to stop his knife play for a moment, “Well-any gay kid. The PTA’s been on our ass for years and now they think they’ve won”

“That...what?” Tommy instantly thought of the sandlot gang. Kimberly and Trini, Jason and Billy...even Riley from the baseball team. How would that be fair for them?  _ “Why?” _

Jayden, Antonio, and Lauren all silently gave him a  _ look _ as if he should know the answer to this by now. This beautiful home, the once highly esteemed family was all reduced to the gay kids at the  _ fag house.  _ Even after two years of being out, one year of the GSA clubs existence and they were still gated off from things just because of who they were dating. He never saw himself on the other side of it, he didn’t know what it was like to be on the other side.

“That’s not right…” Who was it hurting? Why was this such a big deal? Mrs. Delgado the head of the PTA board and one of Thomas Oliver’s clerical workers was the one to spearhead the anti-LGBT progression in Angel Grove. Tommy could remember the lengthy phone calls of her asking her boss to do something about it, to be on her side. He wondered how much of that he believed in too. How much hatred he had flowing through his veins. ...How much of that was pointed at his old friends now. “I’m sorry”

Lauren sighed, glancing down to her phone, all the GSA did was fight and push back. Bulk and Skull, Rebecca and her attack on Trini Gomez, Red and the Briarwood goons and even  _ parents.  _ The trio before him were so tired of fighting for just a little bit of leeway. They weren’t asking for the world, all they wanted was to go to prom with the person they loved. 

“Mia got Principal Frank to overturn it” Lauren glanced back at her phone, “But...I guess it doesn’t matter? ...Huh”

“What do you mean?” Jayden asked with a tilt of his head. 

“Trini and her friends are throwing a  _ pride prom,  _ everyone’s invited” Lauren was silently reading her messages, paraphrasing for the boys sitting around the room. “I guess it’s like an anti-prom?”

“Oh fuck yes!” Antonio’s grin was mischievous, almost imp like in glee. He was never one for the typical high school experience, the golden boy was always one for doing things outside of the box. An anti-prom? That was rebellious as fuck, a way to stick it to the naysayers at Angel Grove. “Don’t get me wrong I was excited before...oh ho ho!” He was excited to get it on with the hot surfer girl, but now? A prom with a purpose. “Game on” He pointed his knife at Tommy, “We gotta get you a date” At Jayden’s exasperated sigh, Antonio was quick to exclaim, “Lauren said everyone’s invited! It’s not a  _ senior _ prom anymore”

“I know...but  _ you  _ as a  _ matchmaker?”  _ Jayden wasn’t so sure of Antonio’s wingman skills, “Tommy’s looking for a  _ nice  _ girl”

“Tommy’s looking for some ass”

The Tommy in question’s eyes widened, he immediately looked to Lauren the  _ girl _ in the room to softly explain, “I’m looking to get over Kimberly”

“Your left hand not doing the trick?” Lauren had to look back down at her phone, her chest bubbling, her smile doing it’s best to keep herself from laughing at her own joke. Here at Shiba Grove, the eldest was a much more open and relaxed person. She actually spoke, which was more than she did at school where she kept to herself. The shy and awkward girl carried an unexpected sense of humor.

Jayden didn’t say anything, he didn’t dare to, but his expression said it all. He was  _ impressed _ at the dig, and proud of his sister. Antonio was the one to let out a hearty chuckle at Tommy’s expense.

“...I’m right handed thank you very much” Tommy had to learn to take a joke, to not take everything so personally. It was okay to laugh at himself, in a way that wasn’t beating himself up over his biggest regret. Kimberly wasn’t his anymore, she had moved on. 

“Do you have a type?” Antonio asked, he started working on their dinner, trying the trick where he would stack onion rings on top of one another to make a volcano. “Let daddy help you out”

“Ew” The Shiba siblings' gut reaction was in unison.

“Why are you like this?” Jayden chastised, which only garnered a wink from Antonio. The other boy loved to get under Jayden’s skin, and despite Jayden having Kevin as a boyfriend...Antonio didn’t hold back on flirting with his love.

“Who would even  _ want _ to date me?” Tommy asked, sighing in defeat. He wasn’t  _ good _ at talking with girls, he could get shy and awkward really quick. Kimberly was different, they were  _ friends _ first, he felt comfortable around her. He never had to  _ be _ someone to be with her. Tommy’s reputation never recovered after Emily Ava punched him in the face. 

"Those that go searching for love, only manifest their own lovelessness. And the loveless never find love, only the loving find love. And they never have to seek for it." Lauren was quick to pull a quote D.H. Lawrence out of her ass. The avid reader was always full of wisdom. Her gaze was focused, not on Tommy, but Antonio before her. 

“Tommy’s not  _ looking _ for love” Which was code for himself. Antonio wasn’t looking for  _ love.  _ Not when love left him heartbroken, “He’s looking for puss-”

“Don’t…” Jayden frowned, shaking his head in disgust, “You know I hate that word” Especially when the likes of his best friend was saying it around his  _ sister.  _ “It’s crude”

“Well vagina is a bit clinical” Antonio rolled his eyes, Jayden was always such a stiff in comparison. How old fashioned, “Wouldn’t you say?”

“...Don’t look at me” Lauren, the only girl in the room wanted nothing to do with this conversation.

“That’s not…” Tommy sighed, it wasn’t  _ entirely _ off. He’d love the feeling of having sex again. Especially when he knew some of the other guys on the baseball team were getting some, Mike never spoke of any intimacy with Emily but everyone  _ knew.  _ Zack bangs the head cheerleader on the regular and even  _ Adam Park _ is starting to get places with the likes of Tanya Sloan. No it wasn’t about  _ that.  _ “I miss being a boyfriend...is that weird?”

“Yes” “No” Antonio and Jayden responded in unison, the two exes having to look at one another. If Tommy didn’t know any better he’d say Jayden was hurt by Antonio’s flippant response.

“Ha, this is  _ prom.  _ Don’t put sooo much much pressure on it. Lighten up” Antonio lit the volcano in front of them, it set ablaze for a hot second and the steam provided a fun volcano effect, “Heeeyo!” He pointed his knife in Tommy’s direction, “Don’t worry, I’ve gotchu”

*****

Tommy wasn’t sure what to expect when Antonio officially appointed himself as his  _ wingman.  _ Who was he to say no to someone who was that excited? With the GSA all paired off with one another, Antonio didn’t get to work his charm and flair for the romantics. Really, Tommy was glad that Antonio didn’t set up something online...he didn’t want to cause anymore drama. 

“Why’re we at Zedd’s?” The captain of the baseball team asked as Antonio pulled into the parking lot of Angel Grove’s famous pizza shop. He seemed hesitant, was this really the place he wanted to find love?

“I ordered us a little somethin’ somethin’.” Antonio shook his head at the rookie, it wasn’t a surprise to him that the only girl he managed to date was a childhood friend. Trying to spark a new connection was like throwing a kid into the deep end of a pool before they learned how to swim. “Just be  _ cool _ and let me do all the talking, alright?”

“What if” Tommy frowned, not wanting to mess yet another thing up, “What if someone asks me a question?”

“...Well...yeah…” He scratched the side of his head, “I mean, don’t be an idiot and gawk”

“I don’t think I’m a gawker”

Antonio scoffed out a laugh, “Please, I’ve seen the way you look at Lauren” His brows rose, guilting the younger boy. “Got a thing for girls who can kick your ass?”

“What-I-no. I don’t” Tommy’s eyes widened, fumbling over his own words to try and explain, “She’s not-I don’t  _ gawk _ at Lauren...she’s…uh” 

“It’s  _ okay _ to be  _ attracted _ to a girl who’s taken you just can’t  _ act _ on it” He waggled a finger, “That’s a big no no” It was then he felt a big smack to the back of his head, “Dude, she’s like my sister” He couldn’t help but snicker, “And see, you’re totally a gawker” Antonio couldn’t help but tease, “Look I get it you’ve only seen  _ two _ set of boobs during your whole lifetime so”

“Oh shut up” He could feel the heat burning in his cheeks, “Can we just go in and pick up the pizza?”

“Sure, sure” Antonio waved it off, having fun teasing Tommy like the little brother he never had. As the rambunctious member of the GSA he was often treated like the baby of the group. Here one on one with Tommy he was the cool one to look up to. Even if he was a bit of a loose canon. 

Antonio entered the pizza parlor by pushing both doors open at once, drawing the attention of the table of junior boys. Bridge Carson, a member of the baseball team, was with his friends Sky Tate and Jack Landors. Upon seeing his team captain walking in feet behind Antonio, Bridge sent him a smile and a fake salute as a way of saying  _ hi _ without breaking away from the people he was currently with. Though curious as to why the baseball team leader was with a kid from the GSA club, Bridge was more enthralled to explain to his buddies that peanut butter and jelly pizza was a  _ good idea.  _ Ha, perk of having an in with the girls on staff. 

Tori Hanson, the acting manager was the one to greet Antonio and Tommy at the register. “Hey guys” The strange time between lunch and dinner was always a bit of a boring lull for any of Zedd’s employees. It was evident by the phone she set down that Tori was currently sifting through messages from her NinjaStormX crew. 

“Hey beautiful” Antonio rested his hands on the counter and leaned forward to peck the surfer’s lips. By the way the two were comfortable with one another meant that they had gone on casual dates or spent some sort of time with each other, “I’m here to pick up a pizza for Shiba” Like hell was Antonio going to pay for it, nah, Jayden was the one to foot the bill. “And, y’know to see you, figured you were bored out of your mind”

“Yeah” Tori exhaled, but shrugged it off, “I mean I get paid regardless. Besides, those two don’t know what’s coming” She nodded her head in the direction of the only patrons in the shop, “It’s an acquired taste” Behind her Sydney Drew the bubbly blonde, and Bridge’s connection on the inside, was getting together Antonio’s order. “Hey Tommy” 

Speak when addressed to, got it, on it! He so had this, “Hi”

Tori’s brow arched, “You two…. _ together?”  _

“Yeah well…” Antonio rubbed the back of his neck, “That sort of brings me to reason number three why I’m here” With his thumb he motioned behind him to the boy, “You have any friends who need a date to prom?”

“Oh” It was so very unlike Tori to not have  _ anything _ to say. Tommy ducked his head down and away, rejection via proxy wasn’t feeling  _ great.  _ He rested his hands in his pockets, this was such a stupid idea. “Well uh” The surfer swallowed, “I might not be the best person to ask...all my friends are dudes…” A pause, her tongue clicked, “All my  _ single _ friends are dudes” She slowly picked up her phone, “Dustin might go for it”

“Ahhhhh that’s okay you don’t have to” Tommy broke the no talking rule, stepping forward to stand next to Antonio. Being near the member of the GSA member already made Tori question Tommy’s sexuality,  _ “Please _ don’t text Dustin”

“Yeah sorry” She sent the baseball captain an apologetic smile. As a member of the softball team she wanted to see good things happen for their male counterparts, “No dice”

“I’ll go with you” From behind Tori, the curly haired blonde piped up. She set a plastic bag with three boxes down, making Tommy question how much pizza did Antonio order? 

“Wait, seriously?” Tommy couldn’t believe it, a girl who  _ went to Angel Grove _ and knew of his reputation willingly agreed to be his prom date. “Why?”

Antonio and Tori both heavily sighed, if the girl said yes, don’t doubt it.

“Beeecause it’s prom, and I wanna go. My _god_ nothing seems to happen in Angel Grove and when it does it’s _softball drama.”_ A roll of her eyes, “What _is_ that?” Syd wrapped an arm around Tori’s waist, “We can be our own little group, yeah?”

“Yeah?” Tori echoed her co-worker, her eyes traveling to Antonio. After her breakup with Blake, Tori had been distancing herself from her own group of tight knit friends, “Is that like  _ okay?”  _

“Huh?” Antonio had to take a moment to think it over. Would his _found_ _friend family_ mind if he broke off and did his own thing instead of spending senior prom with him? He had incentive there. “Yeah, yeah it should be cool” If _anything_ it meant he wouldn’t have to be around Jayden and Kevin. 

“Seriously?” Tommy didn’t want to sound too eager,  _ too _ hopeful that something good was heading his way. After the sandlot gang burned him, he was hesitant, scared that this would come crashing down. 

“You’re cute,” Syd smiled, reaching forward to take Tommy’s hand from across the counter. Three eligible guys from her own friend group were sitting here in the restaurant, they’d rather ask her for a discount then to a dance. No romance in  _ her _ life, so she was going to take a step forward and not wait around to be asked. “We’re going to have fun” She playfully winked, “FYI, I’m going to wear pink” Syd patted Tommy’s hand, the bubbly blonde then backed away so she could answer the phone with a bright, “You’ve reached Zedd’s Pizza, this is Sydney how can I help you?”

“Wow...uh, okay then” 

Antonio patted Tommy’s shoulder, “You’re welcome” 

His grin turned upside down when Tori was quick to point out, “You didn’t do anything”

Antonio, Tommy, Sydney and Tori four outliers in their friend groups banning together for one crazy fun night...was it weird to feel... _ excited?  _

*****

Sydney Drew, that was a girl who wasn’t even on his rader days ago, but now he couldn’t stop thinking about her. His mind filled with possibilities on what could happen, how prom would go. Platinum blonde hair, big blue eyes, the complete opposite of his past. The idea of someone being interested in him made him look at her in a different light. Before she was just the girl at Zedd’s who made the pizzas, now? He felt hope, excitement that something could go his way. There was a possibility there.

Amazing how quickly a good mood could change the moment he walked into the door of his home. His mother sat on the couch, staring at the tv in a way where it felt like she wasn’t  _ watching _ or  _ absorbing _ what was on the screen. A vacant mind, it felt like it was only getting worse over time. Tommy grabbed a glass of water to set in front of her, a routine that became numb to him over time. 

“Tommy! I’d like you to come in here” His dad’s voice could be heard from upstairs. Tommy hadn’t been home for more than five minutes, and already he wished he could be invisible. What the hell did he want  _ now?  _

Tommy had to exhale deeply, mentally preparing himself to be drained of his thoughts, his emotions, his excitement for a party that he wasn’t throwing. He climbed the steps one at a time, his feet feeling like cement, stalling his ascent as much as he could. Dread sunk in his gut, he knew the inflictions in his father’s voice well. He wasn’t pleased.

“What the hell’re you doing in my room?” Tommy asked, his dread turning to alarm instantly as he saw what was in his father’s hand. Thomas had snooped through his son’s dufflebag to pull out the practice clothing Jayden had given him earlier. “Don’t touch my stuff!”

“I can do whatever the  _ hell _ I want” Thomas narrowed his eyes, pulling it away as his son made a desperate attempt to take it from him. Black with the white trim, with the unmistakable Shiba symbol on the chest. “You live under  _ my _ roof, you’re  _ my _ son” When the Angel Grove tigers lost the rivalry game to the Briarwood Bulls, Thomas was  _ pissed _ he was angry. Tommy didn’t hear the end of it for  _ days.  _ This,  _ this _ was different. There was an urgency here, Thomas normally didn’t care where his son was, what he was up to as long as he won. It wasn’t like him to go through Tommy’s stuff, but something ticked his suspicions, “So when you say you’ve been going out with friends you’ve been what? Playing karate kid?”

“It wasn’t a lie” Tommy truly felt that he could call Antonio Garcia was a friend, so maybe he was being vague with his father. With good reason...he knew he’d be disappointed with Tommy taking an interest in martial arts. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, hell, he had done a lot worse with the baseball team. “It’s not like I’m going to  _ quit _ baseball. I can  _ do _ other things with my life!” 

“Not here you’re not” Thomas shook the garment in Tommy’s face, “I don’t want you  _ anywhere _ near that house those kids are nothing but trouble”

“Oh, so that’s what this is about?” Tommy knew that his father had an issue with the lgbt kids, he didn’t do a damn thing when Mrs. Delgado turned away the GSA. He constantly brought down Tommy for his ex-girlfriend dating  _ Trini Gomez.  _ “You afraid that what? That house is going to make me gay?”

His chuckle was dark, the mayor shook his head, “You can’t be seen at that house, with those  _ freaks.”  _ Thomas’ words were cold, “This little hobby won’t take you  _ anywhere,  _ it’s nothing but a waste of time. There’s no future there and I will  _ not _ tolerate it.”

“It’s one of the only things that has felt  _ good _ to me in  _ weeks! _ So no. It’s  _ not _ a waste of time and you can’t tell me who I can be friends with. The Shibas are good people! They don’t deserve any of this bullshit”

With a strong hand, Thomas grabbed his son by the cheeks, pressing in hard. “You don’t talk to me that way. And as for your little friends? I  _ forbid _ you from going to Shiba Grove and if I hear a  _ peep _ that you were there, you’ll never leave this house.” He pushed his son back with one fluid motion, making Tommy stumble back enough to get some space between them. “Consider this a  _ warning” _ Fueled by anger, his own ego, and an over attachment to his image; Thomas used this opportunity to rip the cloth of the top, tearing the garment in half and throwing the pieces in his son’s direction. 

Tommy felt helpless, staring at the floor, knowing he couldn’t bend...he couldn’t break in front of the monster he had to call father. He squared his jaw, clenching his teeth, biting back the urge to scream to fight back...it all felt useless. 

“Nothing to say? Good. Remember this, I control this city with the back of my hand.” Thomas lightly tapped his son’s cheek with the back of his hand as a reminder to who was the man of the house. “Every move you make, I’ll know about it.”

Thomas slipped by him, leaving his son with the remnants of the life he was trying to rebuild. Tommy wanted to let the anger that was bubbling in his gut go, to take his baseball bat and hit something, destroy something...see something smash..feel that release. Feel  _ something _ other than getting his hopes up  _ again.  _

“Fuck that…. _ fuck” _

Tommy wasn’t going to let a good thing slip through his fingers, he would just have to be a bit more careful.

*****

Pride Prom proved to be an interesting split at Angel Grove high. Most of the senior class had already spent money on  _ actual _ prom, and with a no refund policy...felt like their hands were forced. Meanwhile the juniors, sophomores and freshmen were amped up for the formal event of the year. These were the same people who would whisper about Kimberly and Trini, make comments about Jason and Billy. Of course, some people genuinely wanted to  _ be _ there and support the actual cause of the GSA. Either way there was a waft of hypocrisy surrounding the event. 

After what Tommy had gone through with his dad he wanted to contribute somehow, some way. Trini had already blocked him on every social media platform she had, so it was going to boil down to talking to her in person. Easier said than done. For a better cause, he had to remind himself. This wasn’t about the sandlot gang but the people like Antonio, Lauren, and Jayden.

“Hey Trini” Seeing his ex-friend at her locker, with no one else around may be his only opportunity. With the sandlot gang, they tended to pair off or travel in a big pack...he wouldn’t be able to get a word in otherwise.

“Gah dammit!” Trini was not expecting someone to approach her at her locker between 3rd and 4th period, she had to catch her breath and put her phone away in her pocket. “What part of “we don’t want anything to do with you” do you not understand?” Scrappy Trini Gomez always acted on the defensive.

The captain of the baseball team sheepishly smiled, knowing that out of anyone from his old group of friends that he had pissed off the most it was easily Trini...followed very closely by Amanda Clark. “I know this prom can’t be easy to plan and I have money-”

“Yeah? So does Summer Landsdown” Trini narrowed her eyes, this event was her  _ baby,  _ “You can’t swoop in here and try to take over-”

“That’s not what I’m doing” Tommy had to cut Trini off after she had cut him off. The two teenagers were so on edge that they weren’t letting the other one finish their sentences. “You don’t even have to say it’s from me” He sighed, reaching up to rub his forehead, “I don’t want credit, I want to do the right thing” 

Trini stopped talking, stopped fighting him for two seconds, allowing him to continue on.

“Look. When my dad caught wind that I'd started to hang out with Antonio and Jayden...he got really pissed.  _ Forbid _ me from going to Shiba Grove. I’m sure he’s siding with Mrs. Delgado for this but doesn’t want to come off as the world's biggest dick in an election year...it’s easier to skirt issues all together...” He shook his head, clearly perplexed by the idea of not being able to see his new friends that were trying to give him a fresh start. Something Tommy Oliver so desperately needed, “I’m not….this isn’t about us or Kimberly or that...Jayden and Antonio have had shitty lives, Lauren too...this is for them.” He couldn’t help the dark chuckle, “If it’s an added bonus to say screw you dad then…”

“Okay...you can help out, but I don’t want Oliver money” Trini felt dirty at the thought of holding a check from Thomas Oliver, “Tori’s having her after party at a beach house” She shrugged, “Last thing people are gonna wanna do after a dance is to drive. If you could get us a way there....”

“Done!” Tommy jumped at the opportunity to be allowed into helping, “I can do that, you can count on me Trini” The softball catcher wasn’t an idiot, Tommy was able to buy stores off and extend their hours, over tipping employees to go along with his little reindeer games. As much as she didn’t want anything to do with him...she could use his resources. This prom after all, wasn’t about her ego it was about something bigger. “Um, I am allowed to go to this thing right?”

“It’s for everyone” Considering the whole point of the event was to be  _ inclusive, _ it wasn’t right to bar him from a pretty open event. “Of course you can come”

“Good, I ah, already...” He rubbed the back of his neck, “I have a date…” Tommy wanted to put it out there, that there’d be  _ no _ plays at trying to talk to Kimberly, that he conceded in the race. He wouldn’t be a bother to Trini and his ex-girlfriend’s relationship. “Antonio’s a good wingman” He admitted, for being the captain of the baseball team and former Mr. Popularity, he was pretty shy when it came to girls.

“That’s good, that’s great” Out of the spirit of pride prom, and feeling that tingle of good in her heart, for times sake, “Do your date a favor and...get a freaking haircut” Trini reached over, she swore the boy’s hair was longer than hers. “Might do your mind some good”

“I’ll think about it” He nodded his head, a grateful smile showing, “Thanks for ah…”

“Yeah” Trini slung her backpack over her shoulder, she didn’t want to lament over feelings. He wanted to help, she said yes, simple as that. “We’re not going to make a thing out of this” She motioned between them, before closing her locker shut and walking towards class. 

Of course with their little chat taking up as much time as it did...the bell rang. Just like that he was on the outside yet again.

*****

Tommy wasn’t going to roll over and concede to his father’s wishes. He would just have to be more careful about going around town. His signature bright green challenger with the white accents would be left in the school parking lot. Even though Mike Fernandez wasn’t his  _ biggest _ fan, he agreed to give him a ride to Shiba Grove after baseball practice. The senior boy could acknowledge that the younger boy was making an effort...and now he truly saw how the outside world viewed his new friends...how they viewed his ex-friends.

“...Can I take you up on that staying here offer?” Tommy asked, after explaining  _ everything _ his father had told him to the likes of Jayden, Lauren, Mike, and Antonio. 

“I’ll call my mom” Mike pulled out his phone, speaking quietly. “She’ll tell your dad that you’re staying with me and a couple of the guys tonight, we can vouch for you” He spoke quietly, while the boys of the baseball team didn’t spend much time with one another off of the field, they didn’t hesitate to have each other’s backs when it counted. 

“......I always knew that guy was such a fucking…” Antonio’s jaw clenched, hearing the way Tommy was belittled over spending time at Shiba Grove made his blood boil. 

Jayden stood up from the stool he was sitting on, resting his hands on his best friend’s shoulders, knowing how this would only bring up the bad memories of how his own father treated him...hit him...kicked him to the curb and dumped him like trash. 

“I’m not going to let him ruin my prom... _ your _ prom…” Tommy hung his head, glancing down at his hands, “You guys have been nothing but welcoming to me…”

Lauren was steady, quiet the whole time, her hands in her pockets as she watched the boys around her intently, “We’re going shopping tomorrow if you’d like to join us”

“I don’t think I should risk being seen out in public with you…”

Antonio seemed to understand where the blonde was coming from, “No one’s going to snitch on you if they don’t recognize you” His anger changed to glee in an instant, breaking free from Jayden’s hold so he could reach over behind Tommy to touch his hair. “As much as I love what this stands for…….I’ve been  _ waiting _ for an opportunity to chop it”

“Uh….I’m not sure that’s a good idea”

Jayden appeared hesitant, “Do you have any experience with cutting hair?”

Antonio rolled his eyes, “Please, I  _ know _ style” His eyes filled with excitement as he turned his attention back to the boy in the hot seat, “Do you trust me?”

Tommy shrugged his shoulders, he’d do anything if it meant staying in the GSA’s good graces and more importantly he wanted to impress his new date. “...Well...okay…”

“...................I’m going to call Mia” While Tommy was okay letting  _ Antonio _ cut his hair, Lauren had far more common sense. 

“Yeah, uh, I’m going to get Kevin”

“Guys, guys” Mike put a hand up, lightly laughing, “If  _ anyone _ can do this, it’s  _ Emily”  _

Antonio huffed, he didn’t  _ have _ a Mia or a Kevin or an Emily to come save the day all he had was a  _ Tori Hanson.  _ Actually…with her experience with her skater boys and their dumb choices, she may’ve been the  _ best bet. _ Antonio patted his chest, “I got this guys, I’ve got this!”

Mike laughed nervously, bringing up his phone to take a snapshot of his team captain, “Y’know a before pic”

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

*****

Once Tori got involved in cutting Tommy’s hair she was the  _ only _ cook in the kitchen. Between Dustin and Shane, she had a background in cutting their hair. Shane went through a phase freshman year where he wanted to rock a mohawk while Dustin let Tori ‘surprise him’. Tommy felt refreshed as she took  _ inches _ off of his hair. He had been growing out his ponytail for  _ years _ now. Maybe this was why Kimberly hacked off her hair in the bathroom that one fated day. Years of bad choices, losing the girl of his dreams, losing the sandlot gang one by one because of how he acted...the weight of that slowly snipped away. This was his chance to redefine himself going  _ forward _ instead of being held back by his past. Tori had done a good job, by buzzing the sides short and leaving more up top. No one in Angel Grove would recognize him now. 

Mike had promised his mother that she could take him suit shopping for his big senior prom. Kevin, Mia and Emily went to another mall so the two halves of the GSA wouldn’t cross paths. Traditionalists as always, the Shiba siblings didn’t want to see what their dates would be wearing. Which left Tommy going to the mall with Antonio, Jayden and Lauren.

To no one’s surprise, Tori informed Antonio the night before that she would be wearing a turquoise blue to the event. With financial help from Jayden, the younger Shiba was able to help him pick out suits. A tan with the bright blue would compliment each other well. Like it mattered, Antonio could be the one in the dress and still find a way to rock it. 

“You’re always so timid” Antonio looked dapper as hell trying on his suit, “Jayden this is your senior prom, don’t be bland. Don’t  _ hide _ behind a black tux” 

“It’s  _ classic”  _ The other boy argued, glancing at blue ties. 

“Blue’s not your color” Antonio grabbed the tie to put it back, “This prom is for  _ us.”  _ Before Jayden could dispute that, the shorter boy put a finger up, “Ah, ah. You know I’m right. Two years of hell, and now we get to see our day in the sun” He backed up to the rack to gesture to a bold maroon jacket, “What do you guys think?”

“I think it’d be sharp” Tommy nodded, he thought Jayden could pull off the red tones if he wanted to. “But uh, it’s really up to you” 

“Man,  _ trust me”  _ Antonio’s voice lowered, he wasn’t kidding or joking...as much as it  _ pained _ him to see Jayden planning a big prom date with another guy, he wanted to see his best friend happy and at his best. “C’mon, I’ll help” He was quick to follow Jayden into the dressing area...which left Tommy and Lauren. 

The captain of the softball team had mostly been silent this whole time, in her own head as the boys searched around for their prom outfits. “Um...do you need...help?” Tommy asked, approaching her carefully, biting his lip. He  _ wanted _ to help, but with Lauren being a girl looking at a suit he didn’t want to overstep.

“Nothing feels right” Lauren simply said, her brows furrowing, perplexed. “I don’t...I don’t think I want to wear a suit” That surprised Tommy considering the girls  _ going out  _ clothes tended to involve a blazer jacket. “It’s prom” She stated, avoiding looking directly at the boy, “It should be special”

“No matter what you wear, it’ll be special...because you’re going with the girl you love” Tommy wasn’t the  _ best _ with advice, he rested his hands in his pockets. “You have to follow your gut”

“...I think I want to wear a dress” Her eyes averted down, “That’s stupid, isn’t it? I wouldn’t look  _ good _ in something like that.” Lauren Shiba could be the most confident player on the softball team when she was in her element. But here? She was so insecure, it hurt Tommy to see someone he admired be so down on herself. “I’m not  _ pretty”  _ She wasn’t delicate, with the amount of time she spent working on her body Lauren was bulkier and more muscular. “I should be in a suit, I normally love wearing them but…” She glanced across the way to a different store where dresses were in the window, “I spend so long being the knight that just once it might be nice to be the princess”

“You should get the dress, when we’re done here we’ll get you something good” Tommy assured her with a firm nod of his head, “And as for you not being pretty? That’s ridiculous. Forget what those Briarwood assholes write in their little scorebook.”

“...Thanks…” Tommy wasn’t sure if she actually took his words to heart. Instead the captain of the softball team flipped it to him, “Have you picked out anything?”

“Y’know it’s funny...when I dated Kimberly I kind of accepted that I’d be wearing pink accents for the rest of my life” Tommy chuckled, shaking his head, “And now here I’m taking a literal Barbie doll to prom” At this rate he would just have to accept that he’d wear pink. “I’m trying  _ not _ to think of Kimberly here”

“When you were homecoming court with her, what did you wear?”

“Something simple” Tommy rubbed his chin, “Black” He paused, “Should I go something totally opposite?”

“What does your gut say?”

“I don’t...I don’t really think about this sort of thing often” He would always have to dress up for his father’s events but they were more of just the same suit jacket with different shirts and ties to compliment it. “This is sort of just going through the motions for me”

“It’s  _ prom.”  _ Lauren reached up to ruffle the fluffy part of Tommy’s hair, “Your hair already makes a statement, now’s a chance to put a foot forward. Who is Tommy Oliver? The same guy going through the motions?” 

The color white was about new beginnings...it would compliment the pink well, “Antonio said we should all go bold” An all white suit outside of a wedding would definitely be making a statement. He hesitantly reached forward to pick one out of the lineup, “All white is hard to pull off”

“What does your gut say?”

That Syd deserves a guy that’ll step up to the plate. Tommy swallowed the lump in his throat. All the girl wanted was to go to a dance and have fun...and not feel like a third wheel to Summer and Aisha. “I like it, is this weird?”

“I don’t think so. I think you’ll make it very you” Lauren turned her head to see that Antonio was patting down Jayden. Her brother did pull off a maroon looking shirt well. From a distance Lauren and Tommy couldn’t hear what the two were talking about, sharing this intimate moment with one another. “...That’s not going to end well”

“No...no it’s not” Tommy could agree.

It didn’t take long for the boys to check out. Antonio and Jayden were both impressed with Tommy’s choice in apparel. Now it was Lauren’s turn to get something for prom. A dress was something they were all inexperienced with. Lauren didn’t know  _ what _ she was looking for, all she wanted was something red and something that would look  _ nice _ on her body.

“What about  _ this?”  _ Antonio pulled something off the rack and held it to himself, “It’s cute”

“It’s too short.” Jayden, the  _ brother _ here wasn’t a fan of how much thigh would be showing if Lauren decided to wear something like that to prom. “That’s slutty”

“Nothing wrong with showing a little leg” Antonio stuck his tongue out, teasing his best friend. 

“She’s not going to be  _ comfortable _ in it.”

“Not when you’re throwing out words like  _ slutty” _

Tommy could see the distress in Lauren’s eyes, he stepped in, taking the dress from Antonio and putting it off the rack. “This is about  _ Lauren.  _ It’s what  _ she _ wants” The blonde sent an appreciative smile in the baseball captain’s direction. She never did like when all the attention was on her. 

“Why don’t you three wait by the dressing room? And I’ll, uh, find something?” She didn’t seem too confident in her abilities. Lauren didn’t have any of her female friends, no one from the softball team to guide her. No mom to shop with. This should have been a moment for the Shiba’s and all Lauren got was her brother and her family friend arguing over hemlines.

Antonio, Jayden and Tommy waited patiently in the dressing room area for Lauren to pick and choose dresses that she wanted to try on. The softball captain, at a loss to what would look good, brought back five different red dresses. Her company waited respectfully, knowing in the back of their minds how girls liked having a second opinion. 

Only Lauren didn’t come out. 

“Everything okay?” Antonio was the first to get out of his chair and walk to her dressing room, resting a hand on the door.

“I didn’t like the first one” So she had already tried one on and eliminated it off the bat. 

“....Do you need help?” He asked gently, knowing that most dresses needed a zipper somewhere to truly try something on. 

“.............Yeah”

“Not you” Jayden sighed, being the one to get up second, pulling his best friend away from the door so he could be the one to enter the dressing room and assist his sister.

Antonio shrugged, slumping back into his seat next to Tommy. What was he going to do? Lauren wasn’t the Shiba he was interested in. It took a couple of moments before Jayden stepped out first, giving his sister enough time to get ready on her own before coming out of the dressing room. Antonio and Tommy both got the wow effect, even if her hair wasn’t styled and she wasn’t wearing any make up they could see their friend in a completely different light. A floor length dress, the halter top intricately laced. 

“Well?” Lauren asked sheepishly, folding her arms, feeling the discomfort of being stared at.

“Shit, Laure” Antonio had to stand, his smile wide, “I think we have a winner”

Tommy could agree, his expression softening, “Mia’s one lucky girl...you look incredible”

It was Jayden who rested a hand on her shoulder, “I think mom would’ve loved it, this should be the one you get”

*****

Tommy and his patchwork of a group decided that they would pregame at Tori’s house before going to dinner and hitting the actual pride prom. Tommy was just about done buttoning his pink vest when he noticed in the reflection of the mirror that his father was standing in the open doorway. No. He wasn’t going to take this night from him. 

“I warned you about the Shibas.”

“Good thing that this is a party at the  _ Griffin Farm”  _ Tommy bit back. He looked at the young man in his reflection. New hair, fancy white suit, a pretty girl waiting for him to show up and be a better guy. He had to be brave. Barring the GSA from their prom was a douchebag move, and he wasn’t surprised his father hid away from the issue all together. He had no interest in making Angel Grove a better place. “You groomed me to be the life of the party, there’s no way I’m missing out on the biggest event this year” He tilted his head, “That’s what you want right? For your legacy to stay out on top”

Tommy turned to face his father head on, “Besides, I’ve got a date” He could see the questioning look in his father’s eye, especially now that he suddenly had this new look, “It’s with a girl don’t worry. I’m going to go out, I’m going to have a good time, and you’re not going to see me until tomorrow” He patted his father’s arm as he passed, leaning in close to state, “And I rented a party bus for everyone to make the  _ after party”  _

Image meant  _ everything  _ to his father. Being  _ rebellious _ and being a big part of this so-called  _ anti-prom _ was considered  _ cool.  _ After the slump Tommy put himself in, this would be good to get points back.

Thomas conceded to his son, taking a step back to allow him to walk past him. “I’m glad you got a damn haircut, it looks good” That was the first compliment he had received in the longest time, “And son? Don’t get this one knocked up.” He was relieved to hear that his son was taking a  _ girl _ to gay prom. He didn’t want any blunders or mistakes, not like Kimberly Hart. “Have a good time.”

*****

Tommy, the reject of the sandlot gang. Antonio the 7th wheel and troublemaker of the GSA. Tori, the x-gamer whose breakup fractured a group of guys. Sydney Drew, the soccer player looking to branch out. They made for a hodge podge group to say the least. The foursome met at Tori’s house, with the surfer’s parents being out, it made for the perfect spot to start their pre-gaming. Antonio didn’t waste any time to fill a flask with alcohol from Mr. Hanson’s basement bar. 

Tori could sense the awkwardness coming from Tommy trying to confidently give Syd a corsage, so she offered that the group take a shot before doing pictures. Something to ease the mind. They didn’t have parents with fancy cameras, no, their prom memories were going to be captured on cell phones.

“You can touch me, it’s okay” Syd kept her voice low, not wanting to embarrass Tommy in front of the likes of her co-worker and her date. As if the two noticed, Tori and Antonio were  _ very _ comfortable with one another.  _ “Relax”  _ She rested a well manicured hand on Tommy’s forearm. “It’s going to be a fun night”

Tommy didn’t  _ know _ Syd, not outside the basics. The girl liked soccer, make up, Summer Landsdown and Z Delgado; she made pizzas at Zedds and always carried herself with positivity. Unlike a lot of people going to prom, the two hadn’t dated, they had barely spoken before this. Two people who were practically strangers to one another. 

After pictures, Tommy informed them all with a surprise. That he made reservations for a real hibachi dinner before they’d venture to the prom itself. This night, at its core, was for Antonio. It was his senior year, his last big hurrah in Angel Grove before graduating. Tommy wanted the night to be perfect for him, to have some  _ good _ memories of this place. Antonio had done so much for  _ him,  _ giving him a chance, reaching out to him when he was at his lowest. Besides, the seafood restaurants in town would be packed with Angel Grove students, if anything this group was alternative. 

When the four teenagers exited the Hanson house, they were greeted with Tommy’s driver. The party bus was  _ here _ so they didn’t have to worry about any transportation. Knowing Antonio and Tori they were the type to keep the party going and extending it for as long as they could. The bus itself was big enough for those that wanted to go to the after party, lush leather seats, lights, music, and….a stripper pole in the middle.

“Oh uh” Tommy knew how that might have looked, really he just wanted the package with the most seats since the GSA, Sandlot gang and potentially a bunch of softball players would be coming. With Tori’s beach house being an hour or so away...he wanted everyone to be comfortable. 

“This is so cool” Syd rested her hand on the back of one of the chairs, looking around the bus in awe. It was no limo, but Tommy was sure this rag tag foursome could ride in style. 

“Dance off?” Antonio was quick to eye the stripper pole, his eyes lighting up as a chance to  _ really _ get this party started. “I want some mood music” 

Tommy laughed, shaking his head, but obliging, letting the driver know to dim the lights and get this prom party started. Even though Antonio wasn’t as flexible as the Shiba siblings, he still did a lot of yoga with them and with a pole like this he could hold onto it and impress the other three by going upside down and spreading his legs like the pros. Tori took that as an opportunity to step over to him and try to recreate the infamous Spider-Man kiss, it wasn’t as sexy as the movies made it out to be. 

When Antonio was done showing off, he plopped down next to Tommy, draping his arm around the other boy’s shoulders. With a flask in hand, he offered Tommy a sip of the straight up alcohol. To which Tommy refused, it was still before dinner and he didn’t want to mess with that by adding what was already in his system. 

“Suit yourself” He said before taking one big swig and returning the flask to the inside of his jacket. 

While the boys were sitting, Tori and Syd were having fun dancing with each other. The two co-workers were extremely comfortable with one another, Syd wrapping Tori’s arms around her to sway to the music. The two girls giggling all the while, not realizing how sexual their dance looked from the outside. The stripper pole wasn’t helping. 

“Syd’s not uh, gay is she?” Tommy asked, his eyes wide, two hot blondes? This was a damn good start to his night. He rubbed the back of his neck, “I ah, I don’t know if I could go through that again”

Antonio simply shrugged, he didn’t know, he was here with  _ Tori.  _ The soccer team wasn’t the softball team...

“You could ask Syd yourself” Syd rested one hand on the pole, using it to balance so she could lean forward, “I’m what you call  _ fluid”  _ She brought a finger to the bottom of Tommy’s chin to tilt it up, “Your biphobia is showing...it’s not cute”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean….” He couldn’t look away from the beautiful blonde before him, he couldn’t apologize to Antonio, someone he  _ knew _ to be bi himself. “I’m sorry”

Syd nodded, believing the look in his eyes, “I know how boys are with their little egos. Kimberly didn’t cheat on you, leave you for a girl. Remember that. Do yourself a favor and cut that trauma-rama loose” Girls had a way of standing up for one another, even if Kimberly wasn’t here to hear it, “Even I could see that, but right now, right here. You’re  _ my _ date” A smile formed on her face, if she was bothered, she was quick to get over it, “And you should dance with me”

“Ahhh….” Tommy bit his lip, nervous, he had never danced with another girl before. 

Syd rolled her eyes, pulling Tommy up by his arm, the soccer player had a surprising amount of strength. “It’s just the four of us in here, and that’s just a pole….why’s it matter? There’s no one here to see you.”

“Yeah Tomcat let’s see what you’ve got” Antonio wanted to ease the tension by slapping his friend’s ass as he stood. “You’re wound so damn tight” He laughed, moving up to speak with the bus driver and plug his phone in for a bit more flare to their dancing. 

Thomas was one to always break Tommy down, he needed to act a certain way. Boys were like this. Men at the country club always had their jokes about the ball and chain, women, masculinity. Men weren’t  _ supposed _ to like something sissy like  _ dancing.  _ Well, fuck that. Boys weren’t supposed to like pink, and here Tommy was wearing a bright pink vest and tie proudly. Dancing, there was no  _ gender _ attached to that, no sexuality. Around the bubbly blonde, chill surfer, and boldly drinking Antonio, Tommy could shed the armor he always had to wear. What it meant to be a  _ man,  _ what a crock. Just because he was  _ only _ attracted to girls didn’t mean he couldn’t dance with a stripper pole. 

Tommy couldn’t do what Antonio could on a pole, so he tried to take a more comedic approach to dancing with a pole, taking one side while Syd took the other. A bunch of low dips and shoulder shimmies. He locked eyes with the girl before her, feeling a lightness in his heart he hadn’t felt in months now. Laughing, smiling, ‘dancing’, he had no idea what Antonio and Tori were getting into until the bus stopped...to Tommy, all that mattered was Syd. His date kissed his cheek, a sign that despite his earlier blunder that this night was still going smoothly. 

“Hey horndogs, we’re here” Syd announced, breaking the second half of their double date up. While Tommy and Syd were acting a damn fool on the pole, Antonio had Tori in his lap taking the opportunity to make out on the leather seats. It made Tommy wonder how much the two had to drink before they even got here. Antonio would rather spend his  _ big _ senior night with Jayden and while Tori was a cool girl, a great girl, she wasn’t who was in his heart. Making out, dancing, the alcohol, it was all Antonio’s way of distracting himself, for over compensating. His broken heart didn’t heal properly and was still thumping, bleeding. As much as Tommy liked his friend...he hoped that he’d never hold onto Kimberly this long. 

With hibachi restaurants, there was a family style, groups would be sat together to fill up a table of ten and get the most out of it. Tommy knew it was a bit of a risk, four annoying teenagers were likely to get set up with an older family, or worse...a family with little kids who were too picky to eat the stuff on the menu anyway. As the hostess led his group of four to the  _ back _ of the place Tommy had a  _ bad _ feeling...he couldn’t place  _ why.  _

The sandlot gang. They were going to be seated with the very people who wanted nothing to do with Tommy Oliver. Former friends….former  _ family.  _

Tori Hanson immediately recognized her softball sisters, her smile thankful that they wouldn’t be sat with random people. “Hey guys, you’re all looking amazing” Antonio Garcia was right behind her, as a gentleman he pulled out Tori’s chair behind her, and waited for her to be seated before he took his spot next to her.

“It’s a Zedd’s party, huh, hi Zack!” Sydney Drew, one of the girls on Angel Grove’s soccer team, stepped to the table next, waving to her co-worker. She sat down across from Billy, “You all look amazing, tens across the board” 

“Hey guys…” He knew the awkward situation he had just been placed in, especially seated across his old time childhood rival Jason. Syd didn’t know their drama, their fall out, but she could sense the tension. Underneath the table she took his hand, squeezing it in reassurance that he wasn’t  _ alone.  _

“Tommy your hair…” Kimberly trailed off, she knew how much he loved his long hair. If anyone at this table understood what that felt like, it was the girl who hacked her hair off in the girls bathroom. 

“It looks incredible” Billy wasn’t going to let Tommy’s presence ruin his good time, he was with his boyfriend, his best friends. He could rise above the past drama and give him a compliment...he was right. The hair looked good. Kimberly could only politely smile in her ex-boyfriend’s direction, a piece of her heart still cared for him but...what Billy said was enough.

“Um…” Amanda leaned forward, confused at this little foursome. “How did this come about?”

“Well…” It was no secret that Antonio and Tommy were starting to get close after the sandlot had cut him out, “Once I heard that prom was open to everyone I decided to play matchmaker” He boasted and loved to take credit, even if he didn’t do much of anything. It was Sydney who stepped forward and wanted to take Tommy out. “We’re all kinda third wheels anyway”

“Who cares? We’re going to have a freaking blast!” Syd ran her fingers through Tommy’s new hair style. It was a cut he should have made a long time ago. 

Naturally the two groups fell into conversation with their own, trying not to directly acknowledge any of the bad blood between Tommy and the Sandlot gang. Antonio rested his arm on the back of Tori’s chair, using this as an opportunity to impress her with his extensive knowledge of Japanese cuisine. Knowing that their future involved dancing, being outside, and more alcohol, Tommy offered to split a dish with Syd so they wouldn't overeat and want to take a nap afterwards. The portions and dishes here were generous and the group wanted to party...not fall into a food coma.

Dinner was fun! Entertaining even. Antonio was the one who got really into going back and forth with the chef. Partly to impress Tori, partly because he was already feeling the buzz, but this was what Antonio wanted to  _ do.  _ Bring joy to people through cooking and giving the experience of a dinner that was part of a show. Tommy was sure to take a video with his phone to send to Antonio later, that way he could practice some new tricks. When everything was said and done, Tommy and Tori were the ones to cover their date's meals. The group of four the first to leave the table, politely saying their goodbyes to the sandlot gang. It was back to the party bus...time for the main event.

Tommy was always the one to have to  _ throw _ big events at Angel Grove. Parties. Lake House parties, Halloween parties, he was the go to guy for fun. It didn’t take  _ much _ for that, he had the location all he had to do was supply the booze and the rest fell into place. He never got to experience what it was like to be  _ at _ an event as opposed to hosting. While he may have contributed a bus to get to Tori’s house for the after party, he couldn’t take any credit for this. The twinkle lights, the dance floor, the live band. His old friends did an amazing job of making this night special not just for the senior GSA members, but for the entire school. 

As a group the four outsiders wanted to experience everything that pride prom had to offer for them...while taking sips of Antonio’s flask along the way. There was a photobooth with props to capture the memories on something a little more professional than a cellphone camera. Since others were busy dancing the four of them thought it would be fun to first go as a group, their respective couples and dates, and for the sake of pride prom doing a coupley pic. Tori snaked her arms around Syd’s waist, the shorter girl leaning into her, while Antonio jumped into Tommy’s arms making the baseball player hold him bridal style; Antonio playfully kissing his cheek. Their night was filled with dancing to live music that went from anywhere between  _ bad _ dancing, hopping to a beat, or  _ sexy _ dancing where Syd would press her back to Tommy’s front.

Once the members of the GSA arrived, Antonio was starting to get a bit more sloppy. Jayden and Kevin were here, looking fine, having a good time...being  _ happy _ together. It was Antonio’s cue to take Tori to the privacy of the barn. Tommy hosted enough parties to know that was code for a couple getting  _ busy.  _ It left Syd and Tommy alone on the dance floor to a slow song, a romantic song. Antonio didn’t want to be surrounded by so much  _ love.  _

Tommy rested his hands on Syd’s waist, the bubbly blonde wrapping her arms around his neck. He couldn’t help but smile, still in disbelief that this prom felt like a fairy tale. “I...I’ve been having a really good time tonight”

“Me too” The two took a chance on one another, a roll of the dice, this night could have gone in any different direction. With Summer here, Syd had an out if this little arrangement wasn’t up to par for her, that she could bow out at any time. She chose to stick around, that had to mean something. “What’s on your mind? You have a think face”

“I don’t…. _ know _ you very well” He admitted, he barely knew her interests yet their bodies had already become acquainted on the dance floor. Tommy wasn’t used to  _ being _ casual. Dances were a big deal to him...in the past this was a date he and Kimberly had looked forward to. Now? They’d never go to a homecoming together, a prom ever again. Starting over sucked, new waters...it was unpredictable. Sydney Drew throughout the night kept him on his toes.

“Oh, okay” She slowly nodded her head, “Then ask me something, get to know me” While other couples were dancing a bit more intimately, these two kept their respectable distance. 

“...Why did you say that you’d want to go to prom with me? ...Seriously” Tommy glanced away, “I’m sure you’ve heard of my reputation”

“I have” She was close with Summer Landsdown, who was now dating Aisha Campbell, who was on the softball team with both Trini Gomez and Kimberly Hart. Syd had a couple of degrees of separation, but she had a pretty good idea of how everyone was talking about him. “Have you heard about mine?”

“Uh….” Tommy admittedly  _ hadn’t,  _ with the girl being a year above him he didn’t hear as much about the junior class. “No?”

“Haha, well let me get you caught up. Hi, I’m the dumb as rocks blonde, I’ve got good boobs...a walking  _ doll.  _ People say that I’m easy because---what else am I good for? Right?” She shook her head, shrugging her shoulders, “People don’t know me, try to know me. They don’t see how hard I work to stay on the soccer team, it’s easier to accept me as a  _ joke. _ A reputation is only so deep, y’know? So I have a hard time comprehending tests...”

Syd sighed, “Summer came to Angel Grove as the girl who had a mental breakdown and couldn’t handle being at St. Johns. No else one  _ tried _ to learn the truth, or reach out to her...she’s one of my best friends. Some people still give her looks, the rich girl who’s unstable”

“But….what if there’s some truth to my reputation?” He asked, not wanting to hide from what he had done to his friends. Even if it cost him the girl, “I did some shitty things…I’m a shitty guy”

“I’m not here to  _ fix _ you, or be your therapist…. _ but,  _ a shitty guy wouldn’t put this much effort into a date with a stranger. A shitty guy would just assume a yes to prom is a one way ticket to a motel...” Syd tilted her head, “Do you think that’s where this is going?”

“Um...no….no...only if you wanted to….” He wasn’t sure what the right answer to that question. Frankly, he didn’t think he was quite ready to take  _ that _ big of a leap. He didn’t know how Antonio and Tori could do it so freely.

“It’s not” The soccer player shook her head, “I’m not a first date kinda gal. Look, my life is pretty simple...I go to school, I play soccer, I work...every day feels like clockwork sometimes. Y’know? I don’t want to go through the motions and wait around for  _ something _ to  _ happen _ to me. I seized the day. I don’t know you either Tommy Oliver...and that’s exciting to me. Maybe there’s something here, maybe there’s not, but not everything has to start with deep rooted crushes and unspoken words. Blah blah blah angst and torture, oofie. I wanted to go to a dance with a cute boy, these are supposed to be the best days of our lives, and I wanna make ‘em count”

A long pause, “And if you  _ do _ a shitty thing to  _ me,  _ know that whatever  _ this _ is over in an instant, kay?”

“Loud and clear” He had made his mistakes, and there was no changing that, only going forward. “So if I asked you out on a date…” 

“I may say yes”

Tommy blinked, surprised, “Wait... _ may?” _

“Mmm, our night isn’t over just yet” Syd made the move to be closer to him, she knew what she was doing, part of the excitement was the chase. 

When the song ended the pair were rejoined with the likes of their group. Antonio and Tori’s make out---hook up---whatever situation was cut short when Trini and Kimberly wanted to use the barn. As much as Tommy liked hanging out with the other two...a part of him was a little bummed that he didn’t get alone time with Syd anymore. He  _ wanted _ to know more about her, be around her, the soccer player’s energy was magnetizing. What would it be like to kiss her?

At the next musical tonal shift, Syd wanted to take a break from the dance floor to check in with Summer and say hi. Outside of the mall, the two hadn’t seen each other in their dresses, all dolled up for the occasion. It gave Tommy a chance to breathe. Dancing was  _ not _ his forte in the slightest. His stomach was full of butterflies around Syd, excited about the unknown to come.

“Hey Angel Grove, how’re we doing?” Mike Fernandez was the one to take the stage, representing the GSA to make a very special announcement, “We’ve counted the votes and it’s time to announce your prom court” He turned to Dino Thunder’s drummer behind him, “My man, can I get a drum roll?” 

“Annnnnd Mr. and Mr. Prom King of 2018 goes to…….” He read off the first line of the results, “Jayden Shiba and Kevin Barron!” 

Tommy, Antonio and Tori sat at one of the many tables to catch their breath. Tommy wasn’t looking at Jayden and Kevin coming to the center of the dance floor, but instead he watched Antonio’s expression fall. With there not being many out gay couples in Angel Grove the choices for prom kings were slim. This shouldn’t have been a  _ surprise _ to the other boy but there was a piece of his heart, the itch in the back of his head that if things had gone differently...it’d be him and Jayden. Living out what  _ should _ be their best moments.

When the clapping subsided, Mike continued the little ceremony, “Which leaves Mrs. and Mrs. Prom Queen” He glanced to the card, and searched the audience before announcing the names, “Gia Moran and Emma Goodall”

“Oh yes!!” Tori put a hand to the side of her mouth to amplify the “Wooooooo!” She was excited for her teammates of the softball team. While he was sure this was an exciting moment for Gia and Emma, he couldn’t help but feel bad that Lauren Shiba didn’t win prom queen alongside her brother. “Can you believe it?” She asked, nudging her date’s arm.

“....Yeah….yeah” Antonio’s eyes were glazed over, he was clearly out of it. What little was in his flask he finished off in an effort to numb his heart. He messily clapped for the pair of couples slow dancing, but he was far from okay. Tommy could tell he was quickly reaching a breaking point...his rock bottom.

“Let me get you some water” Tommy could smell from a distance that what Antonio was drinking was strong. He needed some clarity, not to wallow. Getting up from the table he went over to an ice chest...he was distracted however by a redhead in a black dress, someone from his past that he never thought he’d see again. “Megan?” Sitting at a different table the former Angel Grove cheerleader sent him a simple wave. “What...what’re you doing here?”

“Here with the band” She nodded her head in the direction of the band, “Wanted to make my peace with this shithole town” Megan watched the band intently, Tommy couldn’t quite place  _ who _ on stage she was here with. If he were a betting guy, it’d be the tall bass player. The last time anyone saw her… “You sir, got a haircut”

“Ha yeah, well” Tommy rubbed the back of his neck bashfully, “Kimberly couldn’t be the only one”

“You always were so intertwined” 

“Not anymore” Tommy rested his hands on the back of a chair, “You look good, Megan.”

“Only good?”

“Ha” He ducked his head down, “No, you’re beautiful tonight....” The captain of the baseball team glanced up, “You seem lighter”

“I am...cutting out Kimberly and Rebecca were the best things for my life” She looked away from Tommy to watch the stage, “I don’t have to walk on eggshells anymore, worry about my friends spilling my secrets or humiliating me. Besides, what can be worse than what Kimberly did?”

“You know….she is really sorry about that” 

“What about you?” The former cheerleader was quick to turn that back onto him, “Ty was on the baseball team, he was one of  _ your _ players. Did you even make him feel bad for it? Do the right thing?”

“...It was too late by the time I realized-”

“I didn’t ask you if you stopped him.” No what she was asking was if Tommy even  _ tried _ to put him in his place. “You know, you were my friend too”

Tommy sighed, not expecting to feel the weight of freaking  _ Ty Fleming.  _ “I’m sorry”

“Did you keep it?” Megan questioned, tapping the back of her phone, “Surely it was sent to you” 

No, he wasn’t like his father who got off on married women’s facebook pages. While Tommy didn’t feel like he was  _ close _ to Kimberly’s friends he still wouldn’t… “Of course not…If it makes you feel better we dumped his ass in the lake” Only...that was for Kimberly. The only person looking for vengeance for Megan was Rebecca. 

Tommy should have done more. He’d rather stand back and let it blow over, to not get involved with a confrontation. 

“Mmm it does” A smile formed on her lips, with stark red lipstick against her pale skin, Megan looked like a million bucks tonight. She had something to prove. “What can happen in a couple of months, this isn’t the same Angel Grove I left”

“No...it’s better...” Tommy trailed off. He was the toxic one that the group had to cut out, it didn’t feel good to be on the outside looking in. As much as he tried, as much as he wanted, there was no recreating the best summer of his childhood. Tommy had come to terms with that, and like Megan he had to start over...find his people. Like the seasons, change was good. 

With prom king and queen ending their dance, Dino Thunder was taking a break. Megan was holding a couple bottles of water, she was here to take care of the band. “This is my cue” She stood, shaking the water, “Can’t let her burn her voice out”

Tommy paused, squinting, tilting his head. Wait a second… “......Wait,  _ which _ member of the band are you dating?”

Megan glanced down, she couldn’t help but laugh lightly, “Kira, the lead singer.” A truth she wouldn’t dare speak of back in her Angel Grove days. “I know-totally not my type on paper with the whole---punk rock thing, but...sometimes you find your person in the last place you’d expect”

He was learning that to be true. “I’m happy for you Megan”

“I hope you find your happiness too” It wasn’t hard for the former cheerleader who used to know every facet of Kimberly’s life to see what was going on. That Kimberly found herself in a new relationship, one that had nothing to do with Tommy Oliver. 

“Hello, hello I’d like to make an announcement” With Kira and the band off of the stage, it meant that the microphone was free. An intoxicated Antonio Garcia had up the microphone and was addressing the entire school. Shit! Shit, Tommy wasn’t there to stop him. 

“Huh, what’s going on?” Megan looked back to Tommy, able to read the panic in his face. “Do you know him?”

“Yeah…he’s in my group” What were Sydney and Tori doing? He looked across the ranch to see the two girls sitting, looking just as shocked as he was. Knowing Antonio he likely lied about going to the restroom and changing his course to the open mic. 

“Oh shit, this is like the movies huh? It’s come to this” Antonio rested a hand on his head, gathering a string of thoughts together before forming a sentence, “Jayden, two years ago I cheated on you and that was the biggest mistake of my life. Hurting you….god….I wish I could take it back. I wish I didn’t hook up with Lucas Kendall, but, I still love you. It’s been so hard living with you, being so close to you only to see you with Kevin.”

“Oh my god” Megan stood, having to set the water bottles down. “I swear, never a dull moment in Angel Grove” She looked to Tommy, those names sounding familiar, “...Aren’t those the prom kings?”

Seeing this train wreck happening, Mike was the one to try and crawl up the stage, reaching over the shorter boy to try and take the microphone away. Emily’s dress was too complicated, she couldn’t do anything but to try and help.

“Let me finish!” He pushed Mike away, stepping forward to try and find Jayden and Kevin in the crowd. This was too painful to watch unfold, “I know I screwed up, but I think there’s a part of you that still loves me too...I just want another chance...I am willing to bear my soul and make an ass of myself just for you to really get it. I love you. Screwing around hasn’t filled that hole you left in my heart. You think I wanna be here with Tori Hanson? This should’ve been our prom, our dance...Jayden, please...”

Kevin turned his head to look at his boyfriend, Jayden could feel all eyes on him. Doubt rose in the swimmer, he loved Jayden for two years but Antonio and Jayden shared a past...the two were best friends since they were kids. They lived in the same house...the two likely had unspoken moments, shared looks, tension was always around those two. The love was still there...buried in betrayal. “Jayden?”

“Um” Jayden didn’t know how to respond right away. His hesitancy was enough for Kevin’s disappointment. He needed space, he needed to be away from the boy he just shared prom king with. Kevin walked away in a huff leaving the Shiba boy with a choice to make, go after his boyfriend...or to head up to the stage to face his ex-boyfriend. Overcome by confusing emotions he chose neither...and headed to his car, out of the watchful eyes of the whole school. He took himself out of the equation.

“Tommy  _ do _ something!” Megan turned to him, snapping him out of it. “You didn’t do anything for me, do something for your friends”

“Can I have one of those?” Tommy asked, nodding his head in the direction of the water bottles collected at Megan’s place. Without hesitation she handed him one, “Thanks” He had to cut their little reunion short. Mr. Scott and Mr. Clark were already taking the stage to get Antonio down. No, as much as he wanted to help Antonio he had to do his own healing. Tommy needed to be the first responder to the collateral damage. To  _ Tori Hanson.  _

Tommy was quick to arrive with a water bottle, Tori had emotionally gone through the ringer with Blake Bradley. Antonio was supposed to be her escape, her good time, and he just threw her away like trash. In front of everyone! Already tipsy, the blonde in blue wrapped her arms around Sydney burying her face in the crook of her neck. It was too much, all at once. 

“Hey screw him! Okay?” Syd started to rub her co-worker’s back, she glanced up to Tommy to give him an appreciative thank you. This certainly put a damper on their date as well. “Hey, hey, hey let's get you some water. You like that...” 

Tommy sat down in the chair on Tori’s other side, “You need to drink something” With the alcohol and the Japanese dinner sitting in her stomach, the emotional wave was going to make her sick otherwise. 

On stage Kira was trying to salvage the moment by starting up a slow song, getting people to return to the dance floor and move their night along from watching a perfectly happy relationship break apart in front of them. As much as Tommy loved Kimberly….and would always hold a special place in his heart for her, he couldn’t let himself be like Antonio. Tortured, running away from his feelings and acting like a wrecking ball out of desperation. He made his bed when he rigged Dare Night, and even if he didn’t get to kiss Kimberly then...he knew that he would’ve tried something else down the line. Trini and Kimberly were happy. Tommy didn’t want to be some mixture of Antonio Garcia and Nick Russell. 

He reached forward to take hold of Syd’s hand, locking eyes with her, and sending her a reassuring smile. This was okay. They were okay. Their date wasn’t going to be ruined as collateral damage. Tommy didn’t want to let their spark fizzle out before it had a chance to burn bright. 

“What the actual fuck” Tori pulled herself off of Syd to get herself a sip of the water Tommy brought. It was all she could manage to say about what had happened. 

“Tori…” Syd trailed off, her attention away from the about-to-break Tori. Tommy followed her gaze to see that one of the other soccer girls had just arrived. Z Delgado was severely under dressed with a hoodie and jeans on. Tommy knew her mother well, how much she complained when the student athletes made a video talking about their queer experiences. “Believe me when I say, that there’s someone out there for you…”

Z was risking a helluva lot to even show her face at this prom. This was the bravery these kids had to face just trying to find love. Photos of Trini were sent around, Riley was tagged to a pole...the GSA was turned away for tickets. This wasn’t an  _ anti-prom,  _ but a safe place for people like the Sandlot gang.

Tori watched the other girl in confusion as she approached their table, was even more surprised when Z offered her hand to  _ her _ and not to Sydney, asking her if she wanted to dance. Tori wasn’t one to  _ think _ only  _ act _ on instinct. She wasn’t going to end her night crying over a boy who loved someone else. Syd made sure Tori’s eyes were fresh before letting the surfer take her best friend's hand, the two heading to the dance floor.

“Fucking  _ finally”  _ Syd commented when the two girls were out of earshot, “Z’s had a crush on Tori for like a freaking year now” 

“I would’ve never guessed….” Tommy trailed off, then again, he didn’t know Z as well as Syd did. The bubbly soccer player was practically attached to her hip. Z was always more closed off, defensive in comparison, “Wow” He exhaled. 

“Wow is right” Despite Tori having sipped out of the water bottle, Syd wasn’t shy to take it and get a swig in herself. “Love is wild” She got out of her seat so she could move one over, be closer to Tommy. “It’s so romantic”

Was she dropping a hint? Was this some sort of test? “Did you ah...did you want to dance?”

Syd shook her head, “This isn’t our moment” After hearing about Z’s crush for a year she wanted to watch her best friend share a dance with the girl of her dreams. 

Tommy noticed Jake Holling with his phone, the boy sitting at a table nearby, he wasn’t texting but taking a video of the dance floor.  _ Do something.  _ Megan’s voice sounded in Tommy’s head. Do the right thing. He knew what would happen if somehow Mrs. Delgado caught wind of this, hell, Blake Bradley was a bit of a loose cannon himself these days after the breakup. “Hey, man, delete it” He got up to walk over to his teammate, putting a hand over the lens of the phone to obscure everything. “Z’s not out” This was pride prom, not a wild party. He didn’t want news of Z dancing with Tori to spread around the school like wildfire. This wasn’t hot gossip. Tori had gone through  _ enough.  _ If Z had any chance of this working...it couldn’t be outed. Not like this.

He glanced over to Sydney, the girl quickly realizing that Jake wasn’t the  _ only _ one trying to take video or photos of the moment. Tommy could see the girl mouth  _ shit _ before getting up and starting to bother people. Having experienced hell herself from something going viral, Megan too scanned through the crowd and tried to weed out her former classmates. Even Summer and Aisha were quick to follow suit, doing whatever they could to protect their classmates. 

When Riley was tapped to the flagpole...Tommy didn’t do anything, he didn’t stop people from gawking and taking pictures. He didn’t help even get him down. No, he stood there and got into a fight with Mike, with Trini in front of the whole damn school. He couldn’t let that happen again,  _ be better.  _ Words meant nothing if he didn’t have the actions to back it up. Those girls deserved to have their  _ prom _ not have to worry about the real world.  _ Tomorrow.  _ When everything goes back to normal and this safety bubble pops. 

Tommy would see how Antonio was doing later, when the alcohol wore off and he had to face the consequences of his actions. Right now, all he could do was be there for Tori...and for his date Sydney. 

The rest of the dance went smoothly, with Z having to sneak back home. It left Tori in better spirits, she had an after party to host after all. The party bus was a huge success. When the teenagers got to the beach house they all changed out of their formal wear and into pajamas so they could play jackbox games. The Sandlot gang separated themselves in favor of a bonfire outside so they could recharge after throwing the biggest event of the year. Tommy used to love bonfire’s the most...it was  _ strange _ not to be a part of them anymore. 

Still his night was full of laughter, learning a  _ lot _ about these ladies' sense of humor. Adam Park, the poor guy, was so embarrassed by the talk of dildos and strap ons that his cheeks turned completely red. Hell, even Tommy was taken aback, he thought the boys locker room was full of sex talk...he had no idea how much  _ girls _ talked about it. An argument on who had the  _ ‘biggest dick energy’  _ on the softball team wasn’t a conversation he was prepared for. 

Prom was a  _ good _ night.

*****

Tommy was one of the only ones who didn’t have a bed that night, he slept on the couch while Syd slept with Tori in one of the beds. He got up pretty early, ugh, he didn’t sleep  _ great.  _ His body was still recovering from the alcohol, the dancing, and staying up way later than he should have. He could see that someone wrapped in a pink blanket was sitting out on the beach, watching the water come crashing in and creeping back out. Knowing that mop of blonde hair belonged to Sydney, he decided to join her. A chance to be alone with her without the context of a  _ prom _ or an  _ after party.  _ The time on their date had expired. 

“Hey, you’re up early” He commented, sitting in the sand next to her. He wished he had his hoodie, or his letterman jacket to combat the cool beach morning. 

“Oh yeah, it’s a curse” Syd’s voice was soft, “When the suns awake, I’m awake...it doesn’t matter how much sleep I actually get” She glanced over to him, a curious brow arching, “You’re up early too”

“Ah, well” Tommy could sleep in if he wanted to on a good day, but with being in the living room of a beach house he experienced a lot of that morning sun too. “Couch sleeping”

“I had a good time, last night” The blonde glanced down, “Y’know even with the Antonio stuff n’stuff…”

“Me too” He admitted, and it was the truth, “I haven’t felt this great in awhile to be honest…” Between the break up with Kimberly, the pining, Ty Fleming, Trini coming back to town, having hopes that he’d get back with Kimberly, only for her to be with Trini, to dare night, to rivalry week, to the sandlot cutting him out…….it was a roller coaster of emotions to say the least. Full of loops and big drops every time his father got involved. “It sucks that it’s over”

“Funny, I thought this was just the beginning” Syd opened up her blanket, Tommy quickly taking the hint to join her, to be surrounded by her warmth. 

“So...that’s a yes to date number two?” He asked hopefully, snaking his arm around her waist. “Really?”

Syd leaned over to kiss his cheek, “Yes to date number two...I wanna see where this goes”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this story has officially caught up to the main stories "live time"

**Author's Note:**

> Each chapter title is going to be featuring Tommy's connection to another character (like this one was Emma Goodall)


End file.
